So, I’ve started a rudimentary, unofficial recycling program at my new job (tomorrow begins week 2). When I got there, I was nearly overcome by the amount of recyclable material we throw away as solid waste each day. I mean, tons…literally. We don’t have a bottle return/recycle service (yet), nor were we recycling paper before now. The organization I came from has a zero-waste policy – all purchased paper and plastic consumables are recyclable and/or biodegradable. That which can be composted is (and believe me, I was shocked to find out how much stuff can be tossed into a compost bin! 
, and the rest gets sorted into designated recycling bins. Given the stark contrast between the 2 companies, I decided to start dropping the idea of a recycling program around the office. After a couple of positive comments (admittedly, though, there were several not-so-positive ones), and with the help of a few well-meaning co-workers, I’ve placed recycling bins around my building for collecting paper (that I’ll empty at the recycling center near my home). The word has spread rather quickly, and over 100 lbs of virgin paper were dropped off today alone. I also went and talked to the Facilities Manager about what else could be done and he is very open to the idea…as long as it doesn’t cost the company any more than what we already pay for our trash disposal. Um, okay. I’ll have to get back to him on that one.
Bottom line: it’s going to take additional research and creative planning to get the Powers That Be on board. But (hopefully) the act of recycling will catch momentum and prove itself worthy of the company’s support. We had a group of potential investors tour our facilities this morning, and the thought occurred to me: how much more attractive would we be to them if they knew we could re-invest their resources into sustainable business practices, for the benefit of our environment and for future generations?
My goal is to recycle 1 ton of paper by the end of this year. I chose that figure because one of my helpers found a blurb on the internet that says 1 ton of paper is the rough equivalent of 17 large trees. I thought it was nice to have a more tangible comparison to gauge our progress by (most people can imagine standing in front of 17 trees, as opposed to imagining standing in front of 1 ton of loose paper). For every “tree” we recycle (roughly 3 of our recycling boxes filled with paper, or 100 lbs) I have permission to hang up a small paper one in our hallway.
Hopefully, if things look like they’re moving along, I’ll set out boxes for co-mingled containers, too.
