The problem of Improving Recycling Facilities at the Workplace and how to Address the Problem

Introduction

Recycling is an essential aspect of public life in the current world. It refers to the procedure of converting waste products into new objects and materials. Conventionally, it entails a waste disposal program aimed at saving documents and assisting in reducing the level of greenhouse emission. People have become aware of the adverse effects on the environment and human life due to non-recycling. Businesses also have shown interest in taking part in recycling programs regardless of the cost, time, and space used in the process. Workplace waste presents problems across the world. Some of the trash generated from offices include a substantial volume of waste paper, plastic water cans, print cartridges, and many more. Through implementing recycling at the office level, an organization can assist every person to minimize their environmental impact. However, recycling efforts among companies are derailed by inadequate recycling facilities. For the recycling process to be effective, an organization requires sophisticated facilities to make the process more effective. This paper investigates the problem of improving recycling facilities at the workplace and efforts that should be aimed at addressing the issue of inadequate facilities.

Importance of Recycling Waste at Workplace

Recycling of wastes at a workplace presents several advantages to the environment, employers, and employees. One of the benefits, as argued by Oke (2015), is that recycling assists in minimizing costs. Similar to other enterprises, the workplace pays for the disposal of wastes. Organizations that attempt to recycle their scraps often benefit from saving money that would have been used for placement of the debris. Some of the waste products in an organization are harmful to the health of employees. Through recycling, costs related to treatment due to the detrimental effects of the wastes are evaded. Also, the recycling of materials minimizes purchase and handling costs.

Another importance of recycling is that it improves customer service (Oke, 2015). Commitment and ability of an organization to protect the environment are demonstrated through recycling. There is an increasing number of customers that appreciate recycling to protect the environment. As a result, people expect to find waste material containers in every place they visit, including workplaces. Serving customers better also relates to offering recycling equipment and facilities.

Materials that can be Recycled at Workplace

• Cardboard
• Paper
• Food and garden organics
• Commingle (steel, plastic, glass, cartons, and plastic containers)
• Batteries
• Electronic waste

Recycling Facilities at Workplace

The main facilities that are used in many workplaces to facilitate the recycling process are bins. Ferguson et al. (2018) present that bins should be located in areas where the staff can quickly find them frequently and the fields should be logical for disposal. Other than accessibility, the containers should be placed in areas where the recycling materials or other wastes can be easily generated. The shared facilities should include;

• Paper recycling bins in photocopier and printer rooms or near central locations.
• Combined cardboard and paper recycling bins adjacent to facilities areas and stationary rooms.
• Organic recycling in kitchen or tea areas where food is cooked and consumed.
• Printer cartridge reuse and recycling bins in storage and photocopying rooms.
• Locations for storing IT and electronic equipment for storing.
• Cigarette butt bins located at the public’s entrance and staff smocking areas.
• Added recycling receptacles, for instance, e-waste and corks next to main stations for recycling to enhance awareness about their availability.
• Large recycling bins located at central places alongside bins for general waste to prevent cross-contamination.

Problems of Improving Recycling Facilities at Workplace

Many workstations have not adequately implemented a waste management plan. Some of the waste materials that are generated by these organizations are not recycled and end up affecting the environment and the global ecosystem. Besides, organizations that fail to implement recycling procedures and policies incur many costs in terms of waste disposal and management compared to those that recycle their products (Jouontso & Branine, 2014). Adequate and adequately maintained recycling facilities are necessary for organizations that strive to make their waste management effective. Different problems exist in workplaces that hinder the improvement of these recycling facilities.

One problem that prevents the improvement of recycling facilities is inadequate to support the initiative due to weak communication systems (Jaeger, 2018). Communication is essential to ensure that every employee in the organization is aware of the recycling process and supports the initiative. Most organizations with inadequate recycling facilities often fail to communicate with their employees either formally or informally on waste management and management of recycling facilities. Failure of management to discuss waste management in staff meetings makes it challenging to maintain recycling equipment effectively.

Inadequacy of recycling bins for each desk and at each of the areas where wastes are produced makes it difficult to improve waste management facilities. Most organizations fail to allocate resources for waste management equipment due to overlooking their importance or assuming the existing ones are adequate (Jaeger, 2018). Individuals in charge of the waste management process often fail to communicate the new systems and facilities for collecting and recycling wastes making it challenging to improve the facilities.

Another problem that hinders the improvement of recycling facilities is the lack of a bin system that presents locations of shared bins within a system (Yusuf, Kamaruddeen & Bahaudin, 2016). Most organizations fail to implement a centralized recycling station where streams that can be recycled are placed alongside rubbish bins. Due to this failure, contamination of various wastes becomes challenging to evade. The rubbish bins and general bins are often located far apart, encouraging the employees’ behavior of contaminating and mixing different kinds of wastes.

In some organizations, bins always take long before being removed. This makes the containers to have a wretched smell, and some staff prefers not to use them. Besides, the full bins have no space to accommodate more waste materials. Failure to remove bins regularly present different problems to an organization and makes it challenging to maintain recycling facilities effectively. Moreover, employees may choose to mix waste products by using the bins that still have space without considering the marks prescribed to them.

How to Improve the Recycling Facilities at Workplace

One of the ways of improving recycling facilities is to ensure that recycling bins and rubbish have not been placed apart. In this sense, a waste bin that is not adjacent to another waste bin will end up receiving unwanted debris leading to contamination. Besides, the general bin should also be placed near the other bins to avoid contamination and preservation of the recycling facilities. Also, in case a bin is at a location where there are many things to recycle, the bins should be moved to other places.

As alleged by Mutua (2019), in a situation where the bins get filled at a faster rate, waste managers should put in place a second bin or escalate the rate at which the emptying and collection are done. The contamination of recycling wastes results from the unavailability of spaces when the bins are full. Moreover, waste managers should have enough staff to handle waste products promptly to avoid contamination and facilitate the recycling process.

The waste manager at the workplace should ensure that an appropriate induction process is in place (Arulrajah et al., 2015). As a result, the employees will be equipped with waste management practices and how to make good use of the facilities offered for waste management. Moreover, the induction process should focus on new staff and introduce them to the reuse and recycling systems from the point of introduction to the organization. To ensure compliance with waste management practices, waste managers should establish proper means of communication, training, and education within the organization.

Another way to ensure that recycling facilities are improved is to undertake a regular waste assessment. Conducting proper waste assessment monthly or bi-annually can assist a workplace to realize whether or not it is meeting its waste targets. Some of the goals might include bins and equipment for handling waste materials. Also, the assessment will analyze whether the staff available are adequate to handle the waste materials issue. Making waste assessment, a routine will endure that flaws in the system are addressed to preserve waste facilities.

Recommendation for the Implementation of the Solution

Management of waste products has become an issue of global concern. The workplace has a role to play to ensure the success of the comprehensive plan to conserve the environment. There are many benefits that an organization can benefit from due to the implementation of recycling. Enhancing waste management depends on how recycling facilities are improved. Different problems that prevent the organization from improving recycling facilities and ways to address the issues have been identified in the paper. However, it is essential to make recommendations on how the solutions can be best implemented.

First, the team responsible for the waste management process should stay up to date with the most current reuse and recycling activities in the industry. Over the years, improved ways of managing wastes have emerged and continue to appear. New Approaches and ideas on how to manage wastes and improve facilities are being developed often. Moreover, the team leading recycling process should network with other partner associations and companies to share ideas and solutions.

The team leading the waste management process should also conduct a review of the system frequently to determine the extent to which the identified solutions have been met. In this regard, the team should collect data regarding waste facilities available, the areas that have been improved, and the places that require further attention. Also, the review process should investigate the level at which the targets have been met and set new goals. The review should be conducted regularly.

The final recommendation on how to enhance the success of the solutions identified is the rewarding efforts of employees who make the most contribution to improving the recycling facilities. The hard work and achievement that has made the recycling process success. Assisting the environment should be a process to enjoy. Celebrating, appreciating, and rewarding individuals engaged in the conservation and protection of recycling facilities. Through rewarding, people will be inspired to work towards further improvements and get involved in long-term projects. For instance, the management can reward employees with special treats or morning tea when targets have been exceeded or achieved.

References

Oke, A. (2015). Workplace waste recycling behavior: A meta-analytical review. Sustainability, 7(6), 7175-7194.

Jaeger, A. B. (2018). Forging hegemony: how recycling became a popular but inadequate response to accumulating waste. Social Problems, 65(3), 395-415.

Mutua, J. M. (2019). Safety And Health Management In The Workplace.

Arulrajah, A. A., Opatha, H. H. D. N. P., & Nawaratne, N. N. J. (2015). Green human resource management practices: A review. Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(1).

Yusuf, N., Kamaruddeen, A. M., & Bahaudin, A. Y. (2016). Moderating effect of government policy on the relationship between organizational structure and construction waste management. Rev. Téc. Ing. Univ. Zulia, 39(1), 88-100.

Jouontso, W., & Branine, M. (2014, June). From HRD to green HRD: Improving employees’ environmental awareness. In Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Human Resource Development Research and Practice Across Europe. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh Napier University.

Ferguson, B., Nagaraj, V., Kara, E. C., & Alizadeh, M. (2018, November). Optimal planning of workplace electric vehicle charging infrastructure with smart charging opportunities. In 2018 21st International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC) (pp. 1149-1154). IEEE.

Appendix

Staff Survey

A simple staff survey was conducted at the workplace during the breaktime. Simple five questions were selected with a section for the employees to describe their responses.