Good practices for faultless recycling when many do their part!
Quebeckers are committed to doing the “right thing”, as we saw with the pandemic. It’s the same thing when it comes to domestic recycling or office recycling. However, it can be frustrating to see that if we do the right things ourselves, it is not necessarily the same for our neighbours or our office colleagues.
This article therefore proposes some good practices for citizens or workers concerned about the quality of their recycling, but also managers of multi-housing or condominiums and those of office buildings.
Inform and educate
There are many benefits to reducing source contamination:
- Increased quality of recyclable materials, leading to greater local reclamation;
- Increased satisfaction of retraining participants and, consequently, their participation;
- Increase in the value of materials collected and recycled therefore, by extension on the cost of labour and operations, keeping collection costs low for building managers.
Informing the residents or users of a building is not easy, since not everyone has the same motivation to protect our environment. By supporting the right actions, building managers create a positive change in behaviour, which will have an impact on reducing other incidents, such as mischief and damage.
Here’s how to get there:
- Residents or users have clear signage on recycling bins, indicating the separation that needs to be done – for example, mixed paper and containers.
- Take this opportunity to remind you that it is dangerous to deposit hazardous materials and electronic items in the bin, including lithium-ion batteries.
- Share the results of your building’s recycling performance, if available. Find out how from our container rental service, because at Ricova, we’re ready to support you!
- Do you have an internal communication tool? Promote the application Ça va où from Recyc-Québec, which provides collection locations for certain objects.
Take action to prevent contamination
These initiatives don’t seem to be working? Additional measures such as securing bins or containers receiving recyclable materials, through fencing or security cameras, could help limit contamination, especially if it comes from non-residents of the building!
Every gesture counts!
At Ricova, we believe that it is gradually that we will succeed, collectively, in reducing our amount of waste going to landfill, generating value in our recyclable materials to promote the circular economy and achieve the “zero waste”.
Contact us for advice tailored to your situation!
Source: magazine MSW Management
