Easy ways to recycle at work.

Maybe you're a big recycler at home - but what about at work?

Many workplaces have instituted company-wide recycling program (Recycling Jackson's own George Gansos has done a tremendous job at Foote Health Systems), but some are still stuck in the pre-green era. What to do?

Do like I did: make it personal. Here are some quick tips to do your own recycling at your workplace.

Invest in recycling bins
Bins can be as sturdy as the plastic trash-like bins, or a plain old cardboard box - the key is to put them in places where people will use them. I've found next to the copy machine and printer works well, as well as our receptionist desk. If someone makes a mistake, the tendency is to toss the scrap paper in the trash. If you put a recycling reminder in front of them, it will better your chances of collecting the paper.

Paper, not plastic
I figured that gathering my loads in paper grocery bags would work best; that way, I could toss the whole thing in the mixed paper bin at the drop-off sites. So I sent out an all-staff e-mail asking for spare bags, and my co-workers came through in spades. Now I line the recycling bins with the paper bags, snatch them when they're full, and dump the whole load at the drop-off site.

Remind, remind, remind
Catch someone tossing their printed e-mail (can you say, "Grrr!") in the trash? Remind them of the conveniently-placed bins you have stationed next to the printer. Send out e-mail telling staff when you'll be collecting the paper each week. Post flyers (on recycled or already-used paper!) next to the copier or in the breakroom with recycling tips and information on drop-off sites in town. If you have a company newsletter, post a little article in their about your company's new efforts. Do away with disposable plates and cups, and have staff bring in their own from home.

DIY
Sometimes it takes a champion to do the right thing: if your place of employment isn't as passionate about recycling as you are, take the initiative and do everything yourself. It made take you a few extra minutes a week to gather your recycling and drop it off (say, on the way home - or on your lunch break), but your example may inspire others. I was the only recycler in my office, but the idea caught on and now I have a co-recycler who actually drops everything off for me.

Of course you'll always have the employee who dumps their Styrofoam coffee cup into the paper bin when they walk by, or the people who bypass the bin all-together and continue to toss their paper in the trash. It's no biggie. Just remember any little bit you do helps.

I've found that, over time, the amount of paper we're recycling has to make a difference somewhere, somehow. Even if it's a mindfulness trick - keeping recycling in people's brains - it's worth the effort.

Maybe someday I'll institute a system for plastic bottles. But for now, my little recycling program works just fine. And so can yours with just a little bit of effort.