If you are old enough, you may remember those paper drives back in the 1950’s. For those of you too young to remember it went like this: All the kids would drag their wagons around the neighborhood collecting newspapers. These would then be loaded into a car and a parent would get the honor of driving the pile of papers to the recycling facility. You would drive onto a giant scale, which would weigh the car with the newspapers. Then you would unload the newspapers and drive the car back onto the scale to be weighed again. The difference was the weight of the paper and you would get paid something for the papers. I don’t remember what the pay was (of course in the 50’s I was way too young to understand money J) but it seems it was enough for each kid to go to the corner store and get an ice cream. We were recycling and having an adventure.
Then jump to the 1970’s when some states and cities started offering money for returned cans and bottles. Again a great motivator to help clean up. We had friends who, the morning after a party, would stay hidden until they were sure the neighborhood kids has finished picking up all the cans from the yard.
So what does this have to do with today and your business? If you want your employees/company to recycle it must be at best – rewarding and worst – easy. In the old days you had to pay people to get them to recycle. Now people understand the larger value to the earth and mankind of preserving resources and reducing trash (especially litter along the highways) but it still has to be easy.
o Whatever you want recycled make a specific place to put it and note clearly exactly what can and cannot go in there. If people always know where to go and what to recycle it becomes an easy habit.
o Make sure to take the material to the recycling facility on a regular basis so you always have room for the new material.
o If you really want to motivate recycling you can offer rewards like prizes, pizza parties, and even money. Competitions also work well if you have the time and space to set them up.
o With each day more things become recyclable. If you are uncertain about recycling something, check with your local landfill for information and resources.
Why should you go to this bother? Besides the standard – “it’s good for mother earth”, depending on the amount you recycle, you can sometimes get paid for it. Plus, today’s consumer is more discerning and knowing that you recycle (or don’t recycle) could possibly be the tipping point for a purchase.
To learn more about this author, visit Dixie Schmatz's Website.
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