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Without a good commercial recycling program in place, your firm could be throwing away thousands of dollars every year. If you want to pitch your boss on the importance of starting a program, here are three compelling ways your company can benefit.
1. Office Recycling Programs Improve Financial ROI Through Waste Hauling And Custodial Cost Savings
Being a sustainable company is more than just doing the right thing, it’s profitable. As shown in a global study by MIT Sloan Management Review, firms that find alternative uses for their waste have a greater increase in profits. They save on waste hauling fees and custodial costs.
a. Reduce Waste Hauling Fees
Recyclable waste is actually a commodity and has value. Typically, organizations will pay a waste hauler to collect all the waste on a daily, bi-weekly or weekly schedule depending on how much waste is generated. However, waste haulers will offer rebates or reduced hauling fees for recyclable materials. The value of the rebate will vary by region, market rates, and on the contamination levels. If contamination rates exceed the waste hauler’s mandate, then the whole load will go to landfill waste and you’ll be charged for the pick-up.
If your firm generates a large volume of a particular recyclable waste, for example cardboard, you could invest in machinery like a baler or compactor. You could then sell the cardboard materials directly to paper mills or other recycling processors.
PROOF: Perishable Distributors of Iowa saves money on waste hauling fees by giving all their food waste to a local alternative energy company that uses the waste in their bio-digesters. The methane produced powers generators that supply electricity to the grid.
b. Reduce Custodial Costs
Your firm can save money on custodial costs by implementing a central recycling station that collects all streams in an area that’s easy for people to access. Each employee has a small desk side waste and recycling bin and they’re responsible for emptying their bins into the central collection stations. This reduces the number of bins that your custodial team has to service so you save on labour costs. Also, when people sort their own waste it makes them accountable for the waste they generate and helps reduce contamination levels.
Not only does this result in lower custodial labour costs, but it also reduces material costs. By reducing the number of bins needed, it reduces the number of liners used which further decreases your costs.
2. Having A Commercial Recycling Program Improves Your Company’s Social ROI Which Could Lead To Higher Profit Margins
Studies show that sustainable brands are important to consumers: 66% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands.
Sustainability is also very important to the predominantly young, socially-conscious consumer looking for products that align with their values. You see this reflected in their choice of college or university. The annual Princeton Review now features an annual guide to “Green Colleges” to help students and parents in their selection process.
3. Having An Effective Recycling Program Attracts Higher Quality Recruits And Improves Employee Retention
Employees are more motivated to work for a company that recycles. A new unpublished study conducted by Lightspeed, commissioned by Rubbermaid Commercial Products, found that workplace sustainability and recycling is more important to millennials than previous generations.
- Roughly 90% of millennials surveyed consider a company’s sustainability important.
- Almost one in 10 millennials would be willing to quit a job if their employer wasn’t sustainable. This is relevant because more millennials plan to change jobs within the next two years than other generations.
- 80% of millennials believe it is their employer’s responsibility to provide a recycling system and 62% said they would recycle more if their workplace had more access points.
The benefits are clear. Just by implementing a commercial recycling program, your firm can improve its financial ROI and its social ROI, and make it easier to recruit and retain good employees. So stop throwing away cash with the trash and start recycling.
For help preparing your recycling program pitch for your boss, please contact us. Learn more
For tips on how to implement an effective recycling program, check out this video:
Fr more information on office recycling programs, read our past blogs 5 Tips To Determine Your Commercial Recycling Program Needs
and How Many Different Bins Do I Need For My Recycling Program?
CleanRiver Recycling provides a variety of innovative, flexible and customizable recycling solutions. To determine the right solution to meet your needs, use the CleanRiver product selector.
If you’d like more information on how to implement a revenue-generating recycling program for your office, please call us at 1-888-646-4246 or email solutions@cleanriver.com.
