Corporate Electronic Waste Recycling: Create a Recycling Plan for Your Business
Technology progresses quickly, and this constant evolution sometimes means an increase in waste, especially for businesses that frequently upgrade technology for efficiency and security. When the time comes to upgrade, don’t throw away electronic devices—opt to recycle them instead.
While it’s easy to throw things away, recycling can actually offer many benefits for your business, including reduced energy consumption, additional revenue (yes! some recycling companies will purchase your used materials!), and potential grant opportunities.
In this article, we’ll cover how to create and maintain an electronic waste recycling plan 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- Outdated Telephone Equipment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:
- Authority/Points of Contact: Your staff members need to know who is in charge of the program. That way, they know who to contact with questions or concerns.
- Collection Frequency: Will you collect old electronics weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually?
- Storage: You should explain to your staff how you are going to store old electronic devices before you send them out to be recycled.
- Scheduled Pickups: Make sure your staff members understand when/how often a designated recycling agency will come and collect your old electronics, and who will be overseeing the pickup.
Step 4: Maintain & Expand Your Recycling Plan
Finally, you need to maintain and expand your recycling plan. You will want to start small until you figure out how the various moving parts of your recycling program work together. You will most likely 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, expand this to other departments or branches of your business. If you have multiple locations, 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.
