DNREC Online - A Pollution Prevention Guide for the Office

A Pollution Prevention Guide for the Office

A Publication of the Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program

The Office

An office worker generates, on the average, 1.5 pounds of office waste daily. Waste from offices can make up 50 % or more of a community’s waste stream. Most office waste consists of various forms of paper -- bond, copy paper, computer paper, cardboard, etc. Smaller quantities of other materials such as plastic, metal, glass, and food waste also end up in the office trash can.

Much office waste can be reused or recycled. Even more importantly, much of it can be avoided altogether -- simply not produced in the first place. A little education in the 3 Rs -- REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE -- can help office workers become aware of how much waste they are generating and of things they can do to conserve resources and make the office a more environmentally friendly place.

Many business have implemented waste reduction programs and have discovered that most workers welcome the opportunity to participate in this kind of an effort. Here in Delaware, many people have already developed the habit of recycling much of their household waste through the Recycle Delaware program, and that habit can be easily extended to the workplace. The reverse can also be true.

Establishing a program for reducing, reusing, and recycling waste in the office requires some planning and organization but need not be a difficult or time consuming undertaking. And there will be benefits in the long run, as the business will be making more efficient use of materials, energy, and money.

Laying the Foundation

An office that has made a decision to implement a 3 Rs program should take three preliminary steps, which will greatly improve the likelihood of success:

Obtain the support of top management. It is important to let employees know that waste reduction is a priority of management. This is a prerequisite for allocation of staff time and also helps in securing the cooperation of all employees.
Select a coordinator. This should be a person who not only is enthusiastic about waste reduction and recycling but also has good organizational and communications skills.
Form a committee, which includes employees from all departments. Like the coordinator, these people should be enthusiastic about the program and should have good communications skills.

Setting up the Program

Get to know your waste.

Conduct a visual survey of the contents of the trash cans in the office.
List the items that occur in the greatest quantity -- these will be the materials to be targeted for reduction, reuse, or recycling.
Make note of areas where large quantities of waste are generated, such as printing stations and photocopy rooms.

Look for ways to REDUCE waste generation and to REUSE items rather than throwing them away:

Encourage employees to bring washable mugs to work rather than using disposable cups. Some businesses have taken the initiative to supply plastic or ceramic mugs to their employees to eliminate disposables.
Encourages employees who bring their lunch to work to carry it in a lunch box rather than a paper bag and to pack items in washable containers rather than in plastic wrap or sandwich bags.
Encourage employees who go to fast food restaurants for lunch to eat at the restaurant rather than taking the food out. The restaurant uses a lot more packaging for food that is taken out.
If you have a “coffee club” at work, buy sugar and creamer in large packages and let people spoon out the amount they want. Avoid single serving sized packets. There will be less waste, and you will also save money.
Try to avoid vending machines that sell soft drinks in disposable cups.
Printing stations and photocopy rooms are areas where large quantities of waste are generated.
Practice waste reduction at the photocopy machine by making double sided copies and making only as many copies as you think you need (better to come back and make more copies if you need them than to make too many up front and end up throwing the extras away.)
Always use both sides of a piece of paper before throwing it in the recycle bin or in the trash can . The unused side of discarded paper can be used as scrap paper or for draft documents.
Cut down on paper usage by taking advantage of electronic mail, posting notices on bulletin boards, and circulating memos rather than providing copies to every employee (circulating a memo through the office may not be a feasible option in all circumstances but may work well for information that does not need a quick response.)
Use “fax” machines sparingly. Most “fax” papers are not recyclable. In addition, the information on “fax” paper usually must be copied onto regular paper.
Cancel subscriptions to periodicals and journals that no one in the office reads, as well as duplicate subscriptions that are being received in the office.
Have energy-efficient lighting installed. Encourage people to turn off lights when not in use -- even if it is just for a few minutes.
Encourage people to save energy by using stairs rather than elevators and manual rather than automatic doors.
Encourage carpooling.
Identify what materials in the waste stream are recyclable, and find out whether there are vendors in your area that will take those materials. Shop around to find the vendor that best meets your needs. There are a number of resources that may help you to locate a vendor:
Look in the Yellow Pages under “Recyclers”.
Contact the Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program and ask for a copy of the latest “Recyclers Directory”.
Try contacting other businesses in your area to find out whether they have a recycling program. If they do, ask them about their vendor(s).
Here are some things to ask the vendors before you make a selection:
What materials will they take?
What minimum volume of material do they require?
Is the service free, or must you pay to have the recyclables picked up?
Will the vendor supply the containers?
How must the materials be prepared (e.g. baled, bundled, etc.)?
What level of contamination is acceptable? What will the vendor do if that level is exceeded?
Will the vendor sign a contract?
Will the vendor provide scheduled or on-call pickup?
Will the vendor guarantee confidentiality if your business requires it?
Will the vendor provide educational and promotional materials?
Choose a collection system for the recyclables. One of the keys to getting good participation is making recycling convenient for the employees. It must be as easy to recycle an item as it is to throw the item away.
Another consideration is aesthetics. Management may have concerns about the appearance of the collection containers and about cluttering up the hallways or work areas.
Safety is a third factor to consider. Containers must be located in areas where they will not block fire exists, hinder access to fire extinguishers, or disrupt traffic flow.

Designing for Success

Publicize the program. Make sure everyone in the office knows about the program and understands its goals. (Publicity should not be a one-time only event. Periodic publicity campaigns can serve as useful reminders to employees.)
Educate everyone as to how the program will work. Hold meetings, make a video, do a skit, or whatever it takes to make sure people understand what they are to do.
Devise a way to monitor the program to make sure that the participation rate stays high and the contamination rate stays low. Let employees know how they are doing by providing progress reports. Keep them motivated by encouraging employees suggestions for improving the program and by giving recognition to individuals or groups that are doing a particularly good job.

In your office paper recycling efforts, strive to eliminate these most frequently found contaminants:

Glossy paper
Post-it Notes
Tape
Carbon paper
Blueprints
Cardboard
Pressure-sensitive labels
Paper with insoluble glue (e.g. wrapping for copier paper)
Envelopes with plastic windows
Envelopes with pressure-sensitive flaps and labels
Binder clips, metal fasteners, rubber bands (save for re-use)
Food wrappings, cups, napkins, tissues

Closing the Loop

Recycling is more than just collecting materials. As purchasers, we all can help stimulate markets for recyclables by buying products made from recycled material. Many commonly used office supplies can be made with recycled content -- not just paper products (copy, paper, janitorial supplies, business cards, envelopes, etc.), but also items such as binders; rulers, scissors, pencil holders, calendars, and many others. Purchasing these kinds of products will help to close the recycling loop.

Getting More Help

For further assistance in setting up a waste reduction program for your office, contact the Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control at (302)739-6400.

The Program can provide publications about setting up a program, a list of recyclers, and information about other services that may be available to your business.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

This publication is one of a series of pollution prevention guides for various types of businesses. For more information on this and other pollution prevention or waste minimization programs, contact the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control at 739-6400.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is an equal opportunity employer. No person or group shall be excluded from participation, denied any benefits, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap.

Last Updated: May 28, 2002

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