Monitoring recycling services in educational establishments
Making improvements to your educational establishments recycling service
As you start to recycle more, the amount of non-recyclable waste you produce should also reduce. This means you should be able to reduce your number of non-recyclable waste bins, or have them emptied less often. This could save you money!
If your educational setting has seasonal fluctuations, you may need to make changes to your service to suit your needs at these times. Talk to your as soon as you can to find out whether they can make the changes you need.
You can use the feedback you’ve received from both your waste provider and your staff and students to help hone your internal communications on recycling. For example, explaining to staff and students how to avoid recycling might mean improving signage, offering refresher training or explaining the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ in an email to all staff and students.
Always keep communication positive, sharing successes and achievements via newsletters, at meetings or via posters. Remember to let your senior management and external partners know, too – this will motivate your staff and students to continue recycling and encourage them to look for further opportunities for improvement!
What next?
Your review waste audits may identify other types of waste your organisation produces that you don’t currently recycle. Can you spot any opportunities to switch to less wasteful products, or refillable ones, so that you can stop the waste being created in the first place? You could also look into options to recycle a wider range of materials that you’re currently throwing away.