Corporate Electronic Waste Recycling: Create a Recycling Plan for Your Business
Technology progresses quickly. This constant evolution sometimes means an increase in waste, especially for businesses that must frequently upgrade technology for efficiency and security. When the time comes to upgrade, don’t throw away electronic devices—opt to recycle them instead.
In this article, we’ll cover how to create and maintain an electronic waste recycling plan for your business.
Let’s start first with the most important question—why should you recycle your electronics?
Why Is an Electronic Recycling Plan Important For a Business?
There are several reasons why electronic recycling is important, including:
- Reduce Energy Output: If you recycle electronics, you can reduce your overall energy usage. And, the reduction in energy consumption means less money!
- Increase Revenue: In addition to reducing your energy expenses, having an electronic recycling program can even help you make money. Did you know that some recycling companies will purchase your used materials? It turns out that recycling your electronics isn’t just an eco-friendly practice, but a profitable one, too!
- Improve Company Culture: Many employees today expect a lot from the companies they work for. One expectation is maintaining a positive and friendly workplace culture. By creating and maintaining green initiatives, like electronic waste recycling, you’ll attract top talent.
- Business Grant Opportunities: Finally, there are government agencies that could subsidize the cost of your recycling program.
These all sound like great advantages, right? So…how do you create an electronic waste recycling program for your business?
Step 1: Determine Office Materials & E-Waste You Can Recycle
If you want to initiate a strong electronic waste recycling program, you need to determine which materials in your workplace are recyclable. Some of the most common recyclable items include:
- Old Computers
- Monitors
- Old Circuit Boards
- Outdated Telephone Equipment
- Obsolete Cell Phones
- DVD Players
- Audio & Visual Equipment
You probably have a lot of unique devices that aren’t even on this list. If that is the case, you should reach out to a local recycling facility to see what items are eligible for recycling. That way, you maximize the equipment you recycle while minimizing waste entering the recycling facility. View the full list of electronics we recycle here.
Step 2: Form a Recycling Committee
Next, you need to form a recycling committee. You must have a designated body that is responsible for overseeing the entire recycling program. Your recycling committee will have a wide variety of important tasks, including
- Identifying Grant Opportunities
- Conducting an Inventory of the Number of Items That Can Be Recycled
- Communicating With Local Recycling Plant
Step 3: Educate & Motivate Staff
The recycling committee will also be responsible for educating and motivating the staff at your company to actively participate in the program. Some of the important educational components that need to be covered include:
- Your staff members need to know who is in charge of the program. That way, they know who to contact with questions or concerns.
- You should figure out how often you will collect old electronics to recycle. Will you do this weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually?
- You should explain to your staff how you are going to store old electronic devices before you send them out to be recycled.
- Make sure your staff members understand if and when a designated recycling agency will come and collect your old electronics.
Step 4: Maintain & Expand Your Recycling Plan
Finally, you need to maintain and expand your recycling plan. You may want to start small until you figure out how the various moving parts of your recycling program work together. You may need to make adjustments along the way to expedite the process of collecting old electronics, getting rid of items that can’t be recycled, and understanding how and when your recycling company collects your old electronics. You should encourage regular meetings, updates, and emails among the team members.
Once you have a routine in place, you may want to expand this to other departments or branches of your business. If you have multiple locations, you may want to encourage other locations to actively participate in the program too.
Get E-Waste Assistance From High Tech Recycling
Do you want to maximize the benefits of your electronic recycling program? Turn to High Tech Recycling! We’re a local recycling plant in Michigan that specializes in electronic waste recycling. You can drop any items off to us, or even request a pickup. If you have questions about starting an e-waste recycling program at your workplace or want to learn more about what we do, contact us today.
