Whether you’re at home or at work, you probably recycle on a daily basis. What you might not know is that commercial recycling is a lot different from commercial recycling.
Recycling is important on any scale, but it’s particularly important when you’re dealing with large volumes of recyclable materials. Learn more about the different types of recycling services and the difference between residential vs corporate recycling.
Why Compare Residential and Corporate Recycling?
Residential and corporate recycling go hand in hand. Both types of recycling are important, but they work in different ways. Residential recycling relies on individuals minimizing waste, while corporate recycling requires the effort of an entire company (or those in leadership positions) to make a difference.
What Defines Residential Recycling Practices?
Residential recycling is the recycling of household goods like paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans. Most people recycle these items in curbside bins that are collected every week or two. Household recycling can also be taken to local recycling centers, which is a common way to get rid of excess recycling.
What Defines Corporate Recycling Programs?
Corporate recycling programs aren’t as simple as filling up a curbside bin. Corporations have to invest in collection and destruction equipment including dumpsters, shredders, and desk-side recycling boxes. Recycling has to be collected and consolidated on a regular basis so it can be picked up by a recycling provider.
Some corporations allow recycling to build up and simply take it to a recycling center. While that’s an option, it does require a vehicle large enough to haul all your recycling.
Basic Recycling Methods in Residential Areas
In residential areas, most recycling is collected in curbside recycling bins. Once every week or two, a truck will come by and empty your recycling bins so you can keep recycling. If these bins are too full, you can take excess recycling to a recycling center.
It’s common for homeowners to have a dedicated indoor recycling bin. In states with a refundable deposit, bottles and cans are usually separated. The indoor bin can be used for paper, plastic, cardboard, and other household recycling.
Depending on local recycling laws, glass may need to be separated from other recyclables and placed in a separate bin.
Fundamental Recycling Strategies in Corporations
The difference between residential vs corporate recycling strategies starts with who’s recycling. At a corporation, you have to encourage individual team members to recycle in desk-side bins so you can collect all that recycling on a regular schedule.
Corporations may use a wide range of equipment including dumpsters, shredders, and dedicated can and bottle receptacles.
Corporations may also have different recycling needs, including disposing of potentially hazardous materials that can’t be disposed of with regular recyclables.
Residential Recycling: A Step-by-Step Process
The residential recycling process is simple, but it’s important to understand. In residential recycling, homeowners have to put the effort in to minimize waste.
Home Collection and Sorting Techniques
As a homeowner, you should have separate garbage cans and recycling bins in your home. Some homeowners even use several recycling bins for different materials, but they don’t typically have to be separated. When you take your garbage out, you can take your recycling out to the blue bin.
When your curbside garbage provider comes to pick up your garbage, they’ll also pick up your recycling. All you have to do is fill your recycling bin and make sure it’s waiting by the curb on trash pickup day.
Community Program Participation
Community residential recycling programs are more common for items that are difficult to recycle. Your community may create programs to help residents get rid of Christmas trees after the holidays or e-waste that can’t go in your garbage or recycling bin. These programs are an excellent way to educate communities and make recycling more convenient.
Corporate Recycling: A Step-by-Step Process
Corporate recycling is a little more involved because of the amount of waste corporations generate. Because of this, partnerships and waste management strategies are key.
On-Site Waste Management Strategies
Corporations have to manage on-site waste on several levels. Waste management starts with employees, which means every employee needs to have easy access to a recycling bin. Some waste, such as e-waste, has to be separated into its own recycling bin.
Paper waste can be reduced through shredding. Every week or so, recycling can be disposed of at a recycling center or picked up by a recycling provider.
Building Recycling Partnerships
Building recycling partnerships can simplify corporate recycling. For example, a corporation that generates a lot of scrap metal can partner with a scrap metal recycler to easily dispose of it. This is also a common practice for businesses that generate a lot of e-waste.
Even something as simple as working with a recycling center to maximize recycling efficiency can help corporations improve recycling rates and reduce waste in the workplace.
Environmental and Economic Benefits of Recycling
The waste that ends up in landfills has a significant impact on the environment, with harmful chemicals and heavy metals leaching into the surrounding soil and groundwater. Over time, this can have a serious impact on wildlife and plants. Recycling minimizes waste in landfills to help protect the environment.
Recycling also allows manufacturers to reuse materials that would otherwise be expensive to obtain. Materials like steel are easy to recycle and can be made into new steel products using a fraction of the energy it takes to produce those same products from raw materials. Lower manufacturing costs result in lower costs for consumers.
Challenges and Regulatory Compliance in Recycling
As important as it is to recycle, it can also be a challenge. There’s a learning curve when it comes to recycling, and it takes time to figure out what can and can’t be recycled. Changing recycling laws make matters even more confusing.