Contact us now about our waste audits and recycling support services. By phone:
(215) 247-3090
or by e-mail.
We can help you fill out a copy of the
New Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Plan.

Join the Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council and help to ensure that the Greater Philadelphia region continues to move toward a sustainable future in the 21st Century!

Jump-Start Your Recycling Program
Twelve Simple Planning Steps to Make Recycling Work
Collection Basics

Electronics and Other Orphaned Waste



Jump-Start Your Recycling Program
Many facilities throughout the region began the process of setting up recycling programs back in the early and mid-1990s. For numerous reasons, the majority of these programs seem to have fallen by the wayside. Recent developments by the local recycling industry now make recycling at work a relatively easy proposition that can save money and achieve goals of management efficiency simultaneously. The Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council offers the following tips for re-examining and re-inventing recycling where you work.

1. Know your costs and establish a solid waste disposal baseline (how much does your facility spend a year on waste disposal and how many tons of waste per employee do you generate?);


2. Get support from top-level management! Once you know how much you can save through recycling, this shouldn't be hard. A memo to all employees from your CEO or company owner outlining who is in charge of program management and what is expected of them is vital to program success;


3. Invest in blue paper recycling containers for every desk in a facility (see Collection Basics, below);


4. Work with your waste hauler or a recycling service company to set up the most effective program you can (mixed office paper and cardboard recovery is now the norm in most buildings, along with the segregation of food and beverage containers and, finally, separation of food waste and other wet garbage into the trash stream);


5. Train custodial staff in dual, one-pass collections (many successful programs use a wheeled collection bin for recycled paper with a separate bag hung on the side for non-recyclable items);


6. Establish a method for keeping food-related waste out of work areas, ideally in kitchen areas, break rooms, and cafeterias (food-related waste is the biggest problem for paper recyclers);


7. Identify special wastes that may be a costly problem like demolition debris, batteries, shipping pallets, electronic equipment, and furniture (there's a home for everything that you throw out if it can be segregated);




8. Start your program off with a bang. A company-wide recycling event can work wonders for employee morale and provides you with the opportunity to show everyone how easy the recycling program is (contact the Council at 215-247-3090 and we'll send our executive director as a guest speaker);

9. Provide employees with quarterly reports on how much your facility is recycling (a goal of 25% recycling is a good first step);
http://www.zerowaste.org/
10. The Commercial Recycling Council can help you develop your recycling program properly. We provide planning and design services and waste audits to determine the economics and environmental benefits of programs. Corporate members receive discounts for these services. Give us a call. Why reinvent the wheel...

Also, corporate members are eligible for our Environmental Business Reporting Tool.

Required data for waste audits and recycling support services: Click here for data we need to perform an audit that will save you money! This is an Adobe pdf file.


11. Join the Commercial Recycling Council to stay abreast of the ever-changing world of recycling and waste management. We offer services like walk-thru recycling surveys, invoice and waste bill audits, along with program design, planning, management, and evaluation. In addition, we also help promote the positive nature of your environmental programming. We can also assist you in establishing an economic baseline for growing your program, using your savings to invest in more positive and smart environmental projects. Call (215) 247-3090 or e-mail Dbiddle@gpcrc.com for more information.

Click on Membership to Sign Up as a Member Now!

Go to the Advice to Office Complex Property Managers in the Resource section for more information and advice on jump-starting your recycling program.

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Twelve Simple Planning Steps to Make Recycling Work
Standard planning of recycling programs includes the following steps. Each of these steps is detailed in Philadelphia's commercial recycling handbook.

Get top-level support within your organization.
Designate one individual as a recycling coordinator.
Form a recycling program planning group.
Before getting started, survey your waste.

Establish and publicize recycling and waste diversion goals.

Create a recycling program budget (for start up and annual management)
Identify waste-reduction opportunities.
Identify markets for your recyclables.
Design a collections program.
Educate employees and/or tenants about the program.
Keep people informed and updated as the program continues.
Establish a "Buy Recycled" policy for purchase of supplies and materials.

The Philadelphia Street Department's Recycling: We Mean Business - A Guide to Turning Philadelphia's Commercial Recycling Regulations Into an Opportunity, is an excellent source of supplemental information for planning and running a commercial recycling program. This is an Adobe pdf file.

Call Commercial Recycling at the Philadelphia Recycling Office, 215-686-5586 if you would like a hard copy.

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Collection Basics
A standard recycling program for the workplace does not need to be complicated. You should plan to collect mixed paper, cardboard, and food and beverage containers. To do this, the typical workplace environment needs the following:

1. Desk-side paper recyclers (4-6 gallon capacity): one for each workstation, to be used specifically for paper (check with your recycling service company for specifics on what is not acceptable in these receptacles);


2. Food and beverage container receptacles (20-30 gallon capacity): these should be located in strategic areas that make it relatively simple for employees to use;


3. Cardboard should be handled as it normally is and taken to the appropriate recycling container for the facility;

Click here for a list of receptacle vendors.  This is an Adobe pdf file.

Optional:
You may want to purchase several large paper recycling receptacles (20-30 gallon capacity) for high-generation paper sites near copiers, group printers, and in the mail room.

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