ISO: RecycleMan




Funny but true. Our bins are begging for a quality control person ... "Recycle Man". Are you willing to fill the position? What could you do to police your bins without hovering over them?

1. Start with correct and complete labeling. Clearly label what the bin is intended for. Next, clearly explain what should NOT be placed in the bin, make it guess free.

2. Be sure that you have both garbage and recycling bins in all locations. Often people try to do the right thing by limiting where they place garbage bins (or recycling bins), ultimately forcing people to recycle or avoid contamination in the recycling.  The issue with this is that it causes a lot of contamination or failure to recycle. People who care about recycling will do the right thing but those people would also be likely to seek out a recycling bin. People who wouldn't have made the effort to find the recycling bin will throw contaminants in the wrong bin unphased. Although we feel the placement of both bins are best it is essential that you've already addressed #1 - correct and complete bin labeling.

3. Provide Feedback. Many assume that no news is good news. If you are finding that people are placing the wrong things in the wrong bins let them know. Providing positive and negative feedback keeps everyone on track and increases your recycling impact.

Any to add? Have you found other tips that are helpful in keeping recycling clean and encourages participation?

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