Even if your workplace recycles, chances are that your city, county or state doesn’t require you to do so. In fact, only a handful of U.S. cities have mandatory recycling laws for businesses. As a result, many don’t even bother.
While most of us are recycling at home as individuals, the same responsible eco-conscious behavior doesn’t always spill over into our professional lives.
Among the cities that do require workplace recycling (as well as residential recycling), are Pittsburgh, San Diego and Seattle. By law, local businesses are required to sort their paper, cardboard and yard waste. They also issue a warning if more than 10 recyclable items are found in the regular trash receptacle informing the office that if this “contamination” continues, businesses can actually be fined for the violation.
Gainesville, Florida and Honolulu also make recycling mandatory, but it is only required only in the workplace and not at home.
In a country where the benefits of recycling are widely known and practiced at home, what’s stopping us from making it law, particularly at work?
Unfortunately, in many cases it would be a greater expense for cities to recycle everyone’s waste instead of just sending most of it to the landfill. And it doesn’t help that, contrary to popular belief, the landfills still have plenty of room for our trash.
Still, the long-term benefits of recycling for our planet far outweigh the monetary costs of making these programs mandatory today. That’s why you can and should petition your city to take a cue from Pittsburg, San Diego, Seattle, Gainesville and Honolulu, and require businesses to recycle in your community.
To push for mandatory business recycling in your city:
- Rally family, friends, colleagues and community members behind you, especially local business owners
- Write a litter to the City Council, including with it a petition signed by anyone and everyone you can find to support a mandatory business recycling program
- Speak in front of your City Council, presenting your letter, petition and all the benefits of recycling in your community
- Write letters to the editor and ask others to do the same
Of course, you don’t need a law for businesses to start recycling on their own. Get your colleagues behind you and start an office recycling program of your own. (I did it, and you can too!)
Source: BecauseAction.com
