Recycling at Work Website Offers Recycling Bin Discounts

Keep America Beautiful’s Recycling at Work initiative, designed to encourage businesses, organizations and institutions to increase workplace recycling, has launched a new website, RecyclingatWork.org, with a host of tools and resources including recycling bin discounts.

By taking the Recycling at Work pledge, companies can receive an exclusive 15 percent discount when ordering recycling bins from Recycle Away and Busch Systems, and can access resources such as recycling best practices, employee engagement activities and customizable promotional materials.

Recycling at Work is a joint Clinton Global Initiative commitment between KAB and Alcoa Foundation, one of the funders of the program, to increase US recycling rates. Microsoft also funds the program.

KAB is soliciting businesses and other organizations to pledge to a 10 percent increase in the recycling of beverage containers, paper products, electronics and other commonly generated recyclable materials found in the workplace. KAB’s nearly 150 pledge partners to date include Clorox, Frito Lay and American University.

Alcoa says sponsoring the program — and supporting workplace recycling — will help it achieve its goal to increase US recycling rates to 75 percent by 2015.

Up to 90 percent of the materials employees put in the trash are easily recyclable, says Recycling at Work advisory council member Brad Molotsky, executive vice president and general counsel for Brandywine Realty Trust in Radnor, Penn. His company has achieved a recycling rate of over 70 percent for its office-generated waste by making infrastructure improvements along with educating employees, Molotsky says.

Businesses interested in taking the Recycling at Work pledge can attend a webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The session will discuss ways to promote recycling in the workplace and to celebrate the pledge as part of America Recycles Day, which takes place on and around Nov. 15.

Volvo’s New River Valley (NRV) assembly plant in Dublin, Va., last week announced it has achieved zero landfill status at its truck manufacturing operations. According to the automaker, all waste generated by the facility, which manufactures all Volvo trucks sold in North America, is now recycled, composted or converted to electricity.