Working or living in an establishment that does not have recycling? Following the steps below, you can spearhead your own recycling program and do your part for the environment!

1. Conduct a waste audit.

   What items typically make up your trash composition? Paper? Food containers? Packaging? Generally, eyeballing the contents of your trash and making a record of these contents everyday for two weeks should suffice in giving you a general picture of your trash waste stream. Contrary to popular belief, this does not have to involve you reaching into the trash and getting your hands dirty!

2. Find out what is recyclable.

   Check with your local recycling center, municipality and waste hauler to find out what kind of materials are accepted in your area and if they offer pickup services. You can find this information here: Earth911
   

3. Decide on what to recycle.

   Now that you've conducted your waste audit and know what is recyclable in your municipality, you can focus on exactly what items you would like to divert from the waste stream and recycle. If you are a business, please be aware that there are certain states that now mandate plastic bag and e-waste recycling. Recyclingbin.com provides receptacles to make the collection and recycling of various items easy and convenient for you:

   • Bottles and Cans
   • Paper
   • E-waste
   • Textile and Clothing
   • Plastic Bags

4. Set up recycling bins for designated items.

   It usually helps if recycling bins and trash receptacles are located alongside each other for matters of convenience. This allows participants to sort out and dispose of their waste properly at one site. Recyclingbin.com offers multi-sort recycling stations to make the process of recycling fast and efficient.

5. Educate, educate, educate.

   Educating participants is key in a successful recycling program. Education can prevent the contamination of recyclables, maximize recycling rates and ensure the smooth process of recycling. It is important to note that contamination of recyclables can cost the recycler and you money. To decrease contamination and eliminate issues with pest that can arise, ask participants to rinse out any food or beverage containers before recycling them.

   Recyclingbin.com provides labels and signs to direct participants on where to properly recycle their items.

6. Monitor the recycling.

   Keep recycling bins clean and dry and make sure that bins do not become full and overfill. A clean recycling area encourages others to recycle and keep the area clean and uncluttered. Recyclingbin.com aids in this process by providing a variety of liners, customized to fit any size recycling receptacle.

7. Inform the staff.

   Inform maintenance and custodial staff of recycling practices and where and when to dispose of recycling properly.

8. Share the results!

   Send participants monthly updates sharing the successes of the recycling program (how many bags of paper recycled, how many bags of cans and bottles recycled, etc...) to encourage continued cooperation with the recycling program.