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Sustainability in the office should be a priority for your green team this year. In today's post, we will explore several creative and novel ways to make your office greener than it's ever been before.

With the rise of green building standards and certifications being adopted, studies have shown that greener offices often mean healthier, more productive employees. When your company makes a concerted effort to apply sustainable practices in office, the environment wins.

Beyond the massive benefits of improving your environmental impact at the office, making it a greener place to be is what employees want. A recent survey from Next Energy Technologies revealed that 80% of managers would improve office sustainability to retain employees.

Here are 15 innovative ideas that will help you embrace sustainability in the office.

#1: Switch to eco-friendly cleaning products

Cleaning chemicals have an impact on your employees and the environment they work in. That's why a commitment to sustainability means exploring greener ways of keeping your office clean.

The Environmental Protection Agency has a guide on how to choose eco-friendly products here.

#2: Bring the outside inside

Sometimes sustainability in the office is as easy as bringing in new plants. Study after study has proven that lush plants in the office equate to more productive, less stressed, and healthier employees. Lots of natural light, open space, and communion with nature is key to improved results.

#3: Repurpose and reuse where you can

Creating dedicated spaces where people at the office can share surplus equipment and supplies is a leap towards greater sustainability. Many companies start with a single shelf that grows into a space where everyone can find and exchange excess materials when they need them.

#4: Audit your office supply stream

To create your eco-friendly office, have a closer look at where you get your monthly business supplies. Take note of where they come from, if they're made from sustainable materials and how you can switch things up to support suppliers who are actively trying to make products circular.

#5: Encourage hybrid working environments

Having programs that support an eco-friendly commute is standard these days, but better than that is encouraging workers to stay home. You save on office costs, and your employee saves on their carbon footprint. Studies have shown that everyone wins when employees work from home.

#6: Fund your green team

Many corporate sustainability teams are underfunded, which limits their ability to educate and enact green initiatives in the workplace. For sustainability in the office to thrive, try increasing the eco budget and see what your green team can do. You'll be surprised!

#7: Explore revenue-generating circular opportunities

Some offices are finding innovative ways to lower their carbon footprint and increase their bottom line. There are e-waste programs that can become revenue generators, along with composting programs that convert canteen food waste into compost for the company gardens.

#8: Make printers a rarity

Along with drastically reducing paper use at the office, it makes sense to reduce the availability of your office printers. When employees are discouraged from printing at work, there is less paper waste, less energy consumption, and more sustainable business for everyone.

#9: Invest in green technology initiatives

Environmentally sustainable office spaces are usually home to new kinds of technology that make sustainability easy. These green initiatives take many forms: solar power or reworked energy-efficient lighting, IoT devices, green data centers, and smart glass are some ideas to look into.

#10: Bring the green revolution to your canteen

Food waste is one of the most problematic areas of sustainability in the office. This year, launch a program that will streamline your ordering processes, and make use of novel waste and recycling practices so that excess doesn't end up at the landfill.

#11: Involve employees in regular eco education

Sustainability should be a weekly part of your company culture. Decide what that looks like, and how you're going to deliver the eco-education your employees need to be involved. From newsletters to guest speakers, screenings, and volunteer programs, allow eco-conscious employees to take part.

#12: Reward top eco-performers at work

Recognition is a powerful motivating force. Take some time to recognize the key performers that are furthering sustainability in your business. This will motivate others to get involved, and to genuinely care about the way your company is embracing the green movement.

#13: Host fundraising drives for local sustainability causes

An eco-friendly office shares sustainability practice with the community. Inspire your employees to host fundraising drives to help green charities and initiatives. From animal welfare to beach clean ups, these causes will benefit from the dedication that your employees have to sustainability.

#14: Recycle better

Green offices thrive when employees recycle better. That means using technology like the Recycle Coach app to give them the tools required to make better choices in the moment. Explore our various workplace education programs and tap into the power of the "What Goes Where" tool.

#15: Invite your employees to submit green ideas

Finally, invite your employees to have a real voice on sustainability in the office. Create a dedicated space where they can submit ideas to improve the existing practices and processes already in play. No one knows where the problems exist better than your employees!

When you embrace sustainability in the office, everyone benefits. Make this year one to remember by doubling down on the green practices that work and testing new and innovative ways to make your office a healthier, happier, and more sustainable place to work.

Recycling statistics help municipal leaders make sense of a broad and ever-changing landscape. Use this list to glean insight into which parts of the recycling system need work, where investment makes the most sense, and which models are working best across the nation.

In this list you'll find relevant recycling statistics  that will help you become a better municipal leader. We begin with a list of useful stats, then break-down global statistics, federal facts, and state recycling statistics to get an accurate view of the latest EPA data. Also included is a series of material recycling statistics, focused on the most recycled materials in North America. Take a look at the top recycling statistics and facts below.

• The Most Useful Recycling Facts of 2022
• The Top 7 Global Recycling Statistics
• The Top 3 Federal Recycling Facts (USA)
• 4 Key State Recycling Statistics (USA)
• The Top 8 Material Recycling Statistics (USA)
• What Americans Recycle

The most useful recycling facts for waste and recycling professionals

• Only 59% of U.S. households have access to curbside recycling (2019). This means about 70 million homes in the U.S. have easy access to recycling services.

While more than half North America has curbside recycling, it's clear that a major opportunity exists to rollout more curbside recycling programs across the continent. With some 120 million households in the U.S. alone, and about 10 million households in Canada, there is still work to be done.

• When at home, Americans recycle paper and plastic bottles more than any other material.

The AFPA released a study stating that 65.7% of paper in the U.S. was recycled in 2020, and corrugated containers had a 90% recycling rate. A ton of recycled cardboard saves about 46 gallons of oil, so the more the better. With so many deliveries going out, this is positive progress.

• The U.S. is the world's largest plastic creator and polluter. The average person creates about 130 kilograms of plastic waste annually.

Connecting curbside recycling programs with resident recycling education should be a priority this year, to encourage people to recycle more plastic items from home.

• Approximately 3000 pounds of food per second goes to waste, and half of that food is thrown away in North America. It's also the main material filling up the landfills.

Devise ways to reduce food waste entering the system, and encourage residents to compost the organic waste they create at home.

• According to this study, the amount of waste ending up in landfills is the lowest it's been since 1960. California has the most landfills, and Michigan has the most trash per capita.

While landfills are receiving less waste, it's also true that they are overburdened. Many materials take hundreds of years to decompose‚ so space is incredibly limited. The demand for closed loop recycling systems is greater than ever.

The top 7 global recycling statistics

Let's look at how countries are managing their recycling systems and how it compares to systems at home.

• Slovenia has a municipal recycling rate of 72%, making it the country with the most efficient recycling systems in the world.

This is remarkable considering just 15 or so years ago, Slovenian waste went straight to the landfill. After a total 180, the government set a goal to achieve a 75% recycling rate by 2025, and they are on track to achieve that goal, making them an example to emulate.

• Germany's municipal recycling rate is 67%, just 5% less than Slovenia - making it the second-best recycling system in the world.
• In third place is South Korea, with a recycling rate of 65%
• In places 4-7 are Austria at 59%, and the Netherlands and Lithuania, both at 57%.
• The final three places in the top 10 belong to Italy and Belgium, tied at 55%, and Switzerland with a 53% municipal recycling rate.

All the international countries in the top 10 are recycling more than half of their waste. In terms of resource saving, this means less waste left stagnant in their landfills‚ and far less greenhouse gasses worsening the climate crisis.

• Globally, 367 million metric tons of plastic was produced in 2020, a 0.3% decrease because of COVID-19.

Even though COVID-19 shut down the world, plastic production managed to remain high. This is a strong indicator that more plastic recycling programs are needed everywhere, including experimental chemical recycling processes.

• 3 billion tons of food are wasted globally every year, which roughly amounts to a third of all food grown for people to eat.

If your local municipality can discover ways to reduce food waste, you will be contributing to one of the largest and most pressing waste issues of our time.

The top 3 federal recycling facts (U.S.)

For context, here are a few recycling facts on the federal level.

• There is currently no federal law that enforces recycling in the United States. The U.S. government allows local governments to handle their own recycling legislature.

This gives you the opportunity to enact real change on a local level; it's up to you to discover methods that will significantly improve recycling in your municipality.

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a national recycling strategy concerning circular economy and how to realize a more cost-effective domestic recycling system.
• The EPA encourages private corporations, federal offices and agencies, state, local and tribal partners to sign the America Recycles Day Pledge.

The pledge encourages private companies and municipal institutions to work together to solve the mounting recycling crisis. This year, consider partnering with local business to enact real change.

4 key state recycling statistics (U.S.)

An epic report was released recently that ranked U.S. states according to their recycling rates for key materials, and success in implementing innovative recycling programs. Here are some results.

• The top 3 states with best recycling rates include Maine (72%), Vermont (62%) and Massachusetts (55%).
• The states with the worst recycling rates are West Virginia (2%), Louisiana (4%) and Alaska (6%).
• Among the top 10 recycling states were Oregon, New York, New Jersey, and Iowa.
• Among the bottom 10 recycling states were Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The report found that recycling leaders should prioritize reducing landfill materials that produce the most greenhouse gasses (see our article on green waste priority here).

The findings also pointed out that the quantity of materials collected for recycling, was not the same as the actual amounts processed. Clearly wish-cycling is still a massive problem in the US.System improvements like curbside programs, deposit return systems and new technologies were critical to recycling infrastructure.

The Top 8 Material Recycling Statistics (USA)

It's important that we understand how specific materials are recycled and how to help residents recycle better. Below are some important recycling statistics to orientate you on the current state of things.

• Between 1990 and 2020, the paper recycling rate improved from 33.5% in 1990, to 65.7% in 2020, down from a high of 68.1% in 2018. Americans are recycling less paper products.
• 6% of all municipal solid waste recycled in 2018, was paper and cardboard.

COVID-19 impacted the recycling industry in a host of different ways. While many residents recycled more, some statistics (like the one above) show that people weren't as concerned with recycling as they have been in previous years. Understandable, but not ideal for incremental recycling improvement. How can this be corrected in the years to come?

• Metals (12.6%) were the second most recycled material in the U.S. in 2018.
• The most recycled metals as of 2019 include lead (76%), titanium (60%), magnesium (52%) and aluminum (51%).

Scrap metals and cans remain key recycling materials that should be a central focus for all recycling programs.

• Rubber, textiles, and leather (6.1%) were the third largest material set, with wood coming in fourth at 4.5%.
• The two least recycled materials were plastics (4.5%) and glass (4.4%)
• The most common plastic resin recycled in the U.S. is PET plastic (980), then HDPE (560) and LDPE (370) coming in third.
• In 2018, only 18.5% of the total PET waste generated in America was recycled.

Stronger plastic recycling practices should be put in place, while other materials like metals and glass become easier to recycle. Adding these to curbside programs or creating greater visibility in communities will help residents know where and how to recycle these materials.

What Americans recycle

Finally, let's look at what residents are recycling. These statistics show the behavior of the average American family.

• 85% of what Americans recycle is made up of plastic products.
• 81% of the types of waste recycled is paper or cardboard.
• 76% is metal or aluminum, usually cans.
• 69% of what is recycled is glass.
• 42% of recyclables are considered electronic waste, or e-waste.
• 19% of what is recycled is green waste, or compostable.

Based on these recycling statistics, you can see how important infrastructure, visibility and ease-of-use is for keeping residents recycling right. Take a pragmatic look at how your municipality equips your local community with the means to make better recycling decisions.

Draw up plans and funding pitches and find innovative ways to rollout programs that will meet the unique needs of your local municipality. Together with Recycle Coach, you can drastically improve the way people recycle over the next few years.

Green waste recycling is the best way your municipality can help reduce greenhouse gasses. In the past, municipalities have collected green waste in the form of yard trimmings and garden-related organic materials. Very rarely did it ever include food scraps or compostable food items unless the program was specifically created to include these types of materials.This is changing, and for good reason.

As municipalities look for ways to reduce climate change, green waste has emerged as a viable solution. By lessening the impact that landfills have on the environment, every municipality in North America can help combat harmful gasses in the future.

‍Consider:

• Composted food and yard trimmings increased by 5 million tons between 2015 and 2018, according to the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Landfills in North America received 5 million tons of yard trimmings, which made up 7.2% of the total municipal solid waste landfilled in 2018.

With stagnant or absent green waste programs, rising yard and food waste collections, and an increasing need to educate the public about composting, there's so much that can be done to help.

Green waste recycling reduces methane in landfills

How much do you really know about methane? The average landfill in North America is jam-packed with green waste. When left to decay in a landfill it creates enormous amounts of methane gas. As you may already know, methane is one of the greenhouse gasses that is contributing to climate change disaster.

The good news is that you can make a significant impact on the amount of gasses being released from your local municipal landfills with a methane reduction strategy. To tackle the issue there are a few tactics you can look at implementing now.

#1: Mandatory green waste collections

In 2022, California implemented Senate Bill 1383. The bill makes throwing organic waste into the trash illegal, a positive step that can and should be implemented nationwide. California is taking active steps to reduce methane in their landfills by rolling out accessible green waste collection programs run by various municipalities.

This means the public gets green bins, and the government help in hauling away the yard and food waste that would have wound up at the landfill. With stringent rules in place, businesses will also have to change the way they dispose of their organic waste.

Less food and yard trimmings mean less hydrocarbons escaping. Methane doesn't last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, so focusing on this gas has a lasting positive impact on reducing climate risk. An accessible green waste collection program encourages your residents to use their green bins, and together you will avoid adding methane emissions to the landfill.

#2: Methane vacuum and combustion (energy recovery)

Many landfills already have energy recovery programs that vacuum up the leaking methane, which is then combusted and converted into energy. Your municipality could lead the way in making sure that every landfill in your district is using energy recovery to reduce methane leakage.

Improving green waste recycling will take time, and a lot of organic waste will continue to find its way into your landfills. When it does, make sure that you are collecting the harmful gasses and putting them to good use for your community.

Biogas is 50-70% methane, and once collected can be used to produce heat and electricity, or to create biomethane which is a renewable gas used as vehicle fuel. Look into improving the energy recovery practices at your local landfill.

#3: Increase public education on composting

Official statistics show an encouraging uptick in municipalities offering viable composting programs for their residents. San Francisco composts 255,500 tons of organic material each year, while Vermont has already banned residents from green waste disposal that ends up at the dump. If your municipality doesn't have a composting program or needs to increase the way you educate your residents on how to compost, this is a great time to do it.

Green waste recycling is a critical step. Take action and build mandatory green waste collections into your waste removal system. Ramp up your investment in energy recovery to deal with the methane that does make it through, and educate your residents on composting and recycling better.

Recycled plastic products are everywhere, and that's a good thing. In today's post, we see how some of the world's most sustainable brands are using advanced recycling methods for greener business.

By recycling existing plastic materials into new products for sale, companies tap into a renewable feedstock source that helps limit the production of new plastic items (and keeps them out of the landfill). Companies that use recycled plastics are making a big difference in the world!

Aside from reducing how much new plastic finds its way into the hands of consumers ‚recycled plastics reduce energy during manufacturing by 66%. That means less fuel burnt, and less harm to the local environment.

The truth is, because a lot of plastic is highly recyclable ‚it's an ideal sustainable material. If more businesses can build plastics into their green product models, the world would be better off. Let's take a look at the companies leading the way with their recycled plastic products.

#1: Adidas recycled plastic shoes

In 2019, Adidas made about 11 million pairs of shoes using recycled plastics.

They partnered with Parley, a project for the oceans that focuses on finding solutions to lessen plastic pollution there. So far, the partnership has been incredibly successful, and it's kept some 2,810 tons of plastic from ever reaching the oceans.

#2: Patagonia's plastic jackets

You can't mention recycled plastic products without mentioning Patagonia's jackets.

Since the 1990s, this company has been recycling polyester, which has a positive impact on the Earth. It comes from plastic soda bottles that are spun to make the materials used in their jackets and other lines of clothing. To date, 84% of their fabrics are recycled plastic.

#3: Fab Habitat's plastic rugs

This ethical company creates eco-friendly rugs and accessories from recycled plastic waste.

Fab Habitat uses PET and polypropylene plastics to spin a soft kind of yarn that is perfect for durable carpet creation. These recycled plastic materials are blended with others like cotton or jute. To date, the company claims to have rescued and recycled millions of plastic bottles from the landfill.

#4: Shini USA's plastic construction materials

The future of construction lies in eco-friendly building materials that use recycled plastic.

From concrete and bricks to recycled plastic boards, lumber, and decking, using plastic in these construction materials makes them cheaper and more durable. Best of all, these structures last a long time, which gives virtually indestructible plastic something valuable to do.

#5: West Paw's recycled plastic products

This green-forward company focuses on creating ethical and sustainable products for your pets.

West Paw is best known for their signature material, IntelliLoft®, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. They use this material in everything, from pet beds and blankets to clothing. They also run an amazing plastic recycling program using another material they call Zogoflex®.

#6: Preserve's toothbrush recycling

Preserve creates a lot of recycled plastic items but the best among them is the toothbrush.

Preserve toothbrushes are made from 100% recycled plastic, and they run a program that asks consumers to collect five toothbrushes in a plastic bottle, send them in, and get a $6.00 coupon. When you use this toothbrush, you're participating in a truly closed loop product.

#7: Recover Brand clothing

Recover has been going since 2009, spinning plastic waste into new fashionable items of clothing.

As plastic recycling companies go, you don't get much more ethical than Recover. Their goal is to reduce plastic waste in rivers, the ocean, landfills, and adventure parks by encouraging socially responsible fashion.

#8: Suga's recycled wetsuits

Recycled plastic products like the humble wetsuit get a fresh start with Suga.

This company collects old, discarded suits, and recycles them into super-soft and stylish yoga mats. The neoprene found in wetsuit materials is perfect for reworking into a fully recyclable product, and the SugaMat doesn't disappoint.

#9: Method cleaning products

This cleaning company uses curbside collected plastics to craft its product packaging.

Products made from recycled plastic bottles and other waste are an eco-friendly solution to using new plastics. As a sustainable business, the founders of Method spend a little more to recycle the plastic they need to create their large range of cleaning materials.

#10: Green Toys made from plastic pollution

The company Green Toys creates imaginative children's toys using recycled milk jugs.

On their website, they state that for every pound of milk jugs recycled, enough energy is saved to power a television for 3 weeks or a laptop for a month. They have recycled over 113,312,538 jugs to date, changing the world one green toy at a time.

#11: Bureo builds from plastic waste

Bureo takes discarded plastic fishing nets and turns them into amazing new products.

These recycled plastic products become clothing, sunglasses, and even skateboards. As a B corporation, Bureo's mission to clean up the oceans underpins all of its product creation. Along with recycling, the company works to spread education about reducing plastic waste.

Get more recycling facts here.

These trailblazing companies are tapping into an abundant resource and are finding ways to turn something harmful into something helpful in the world. If your business has been considering creating recycled plastic products, draw inspiration from these eco-friendly product pioneers.

Which of these plastic items did you find most promising and why? Tell us below.

Are your foil recycling practices up to date at work? Aluminum is everywhere, but nowhere is it more common than the average employee's lunchbox. Even the foil from your CEO's pastrami sandwich has, at some point, found its way into your workplace recycling stream.

According to the Aluminum Association, this precious metal is among the most valuable and recyclable materials known to humanity. It forms a perfect closed loop and can be recycled--endlessly and forever! Some 75% of all products made from aluminum are recycled in the U.S.

But what about foil? Recycling this tricky type of aluminum is not so straightforward. Here are 5 must-know tips that will help you optimize the way you recycle aluminum foil at work this year.

#1: Teach employees that foil is recyclable

What is aluminum foil anyway? Most of your employees will know that foil is potentially recyclable, but because they aren't sure of the composition (foil sheets, or pans, or packaging) they may decide to dispose of it in your workplace trash can. And tin foil is not biodegradable.

A single American throws away roughly three pounds of foil every year. If it reaches the landfill, it will take approximately 400 years to break-down through the oxidation process. Worse still, if it's burnt it contributes to toxic air pollution and releases harmful gasses into our atmosphere.

#2: Contaminated tin foil can't be recycled

Clean tin foil is magically recyclable forever, until it comes into contact with your lunch. Because foil recycling relies on clean materials, your employees can't just ball up their foil and throw it in the recycling bin at work. Once the foil is contaminated with food waste, it stops being viable.

If enough contaminated foil gets into your stream, it has the potential to ruin every other material in that load. This means none of it can be recycled, so the entire process is rendered null and void. Educate your employees about clean tin foil recycling to prevent contamination at work.

Here is why workplace recycling education is so vital.

#3: Start a tin foil reuse and recycle program

The good news is that you're not powerless against the food contamination making its way into your canteen. Your green team can start an amazing foil recycling initiative to encourage employees to wash their foil packaging, sheets, and pans before adding them to your recycling bins.

Tin foil programs are part of the "reuse" initiatives that inspire employees to either take their foil home to be washed (most types are dishwasher safe!) and reused as an infinitely better alternative to plastic. Aluminum packaging is strong and can be used repeatedly‚ then it can be recycled.

#4: Get Creative About Reusing Foil at Work

Aluminum foil recycling is the final step in the lifecycle of your foil (before it becomes another aluminum product). The goal of sustainability for your green team is to keep the recyclable material in play as long as it's useful, and to only recycle it once it has no more use at the office.

Tin foil has an enormous range of uses that you can take advantage of at work. It polishes silverware, cleans grills, scrubs dishes, sharpens scissors, improves radiator efficiency, and reflects light in a sun box for office plants. Find ways to lengthen its lifespan as part of your tin foil reuse program.

#5: Think big when it comes to impact

Once your green team has established the protocols for your aluminum foil recycling and reuse program‚ you can think about extending it to expand your impact. Other companies in your area or niche will have similar problems. Perhaps recycling contaminated foil has reduced their recycling impact or motivated them to start an initiative of their own.

Your team can be the spark that helps other companies institute their own aluminum initiatives. Host green team talks and share your experience running campaigns at work. Show other teams how much of a difference can be made when small changes become a part of your workplace culture. Together you can make foil recycling just as common as can recycling in your area.

These 5 must-know tips will help you improve the level of education about aluminum foil and the ways it can be recycled. If every workplace bands together to take extra care of the materials that have a truly closed loop, we stand to benefit from less resource consumption, less pollution, and an abundance of recycling materials that can be refashioned into products made for sale.

Right now, aluminum cans are the easiest to recycle, but we want to challenge your green team to start tackling the products that aren't so easy. This year, set a goal to make foil recycling a regular practice among your employees, and eventually, as a part of daily practice in every workplace.

Ask us about our custom educational programs.

When you think of recycling education, what springs to mind? Maybe it's a classroom filled with kids and a teacher holding a papier-mâché earth. Or a business conference where climate leaders speak about sending less waste to overburdened landfills.

Whatever image comes to mind, it's unlikely that you first thought of a family at home, learning about recycling together. Traditionally, recycling education is taught in school, and then almost never again unless an individual goes looking for it.

While recycling is an important lesson to learn at school, this education should continue well beyond the classroom. Adults can engage in more complex, nuanced discussion than school children, which is what community recycling demands in times like these. Every municipality has different recycling practices, processes, and programs. For true community recycling cohesion, the aim should be to connect and educate adult residents. Simply stated, school recycling education is not enough to create adults that know how to recycle correctly.

1. Foster strong community development

A good recycling program can transform a community, but it takes resident buy-in. The Environmental Protection Agency says that a strong recycling program is key to developing a healthy and united community. It takes everyone in a local area to commit to cleaner, greener habits and as they perform these actions, they discover a deep sense of connection with those around them.

A unified community contributes to lowering greenhouse gasses in their area, while functional recycling programs create more local jobs and tax revenue. Quality of life is something that begins with caring about your environment, and benefits the entire community. Recycling education is an important link in the chain of green responsibility and sustainable community development. Without it, you can't expect residents to recycle well, to take advantage of the programs you put in place, or succeed in achieving a truly green-focused municipality.

2. Conversations in the home

Since the pandemic struck in 2020, more people are spending time at home. That means most waste created by individuals is being disposed of at home. This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity to educate residents about recycling right where they live. With so many ways to deliver home-based recycling education, families can now engage with nuanced and complex recycling issues, understanding more about the "whys" and "whats" than ever before. There is a real chance to reduce recycling material contamination in your recycling streams.

People want to help, and they're willing to go above and beyond to make their community more eco-friendly. Studies suggest that when residents understand more about what recycled waste becomes, they are willing to do more.

Recycle Coach has launched pilot programs in various U.S. locations and have had great success delivering education to families in residential locations using the Recycle Coach app. Not only does our app connect residents to your municipality to improve their locational awareness, the campaigns run on our platform address your municipality's specific recycling issues. It's education that targets blind spots that your residents don't even know that they have. By educating residents about what to recycle, how to recycle and what should never be recycled in your stream you're creating a cleaner, more effective program for your city.

‍If you're interested in improving how many people recycle, and how well they do it in your municipality, then recycling education is the answer. You can't rely on school education or expect to grow a unified community force that will help your recycling programs succeed if there is no way for your residents to absorb and engage with the recycling knowledge they need.

‍This year we challenge you to see what your residents can really do when equipped with the right information. Educating residents to recycle better will help you see real results. Invest in recycling education for your municipality, and spark the change your community is waiting for.

E-waste recycling doesn't get nearly enough attention. Over the past few years, e-waste has taken a back seat to highlight more pressing recycling concerns - namely the current plastic crisis and ongoing wish-cycling that is crippling the industry. We've told ourselves that electronic waste is under control. But is it?

While e-waste makes up just 2% of North America's landfill trash, discarded electronics also contain the most toxic waste of any other consumer product residents are using and throwing away. Some 70% of the nation's toxic waste is e-waste.

With new electronics released every few months, and demand growing the future needs to be toxic waste, and e-waste smart. Right now, we are recycling about 12-13% of all electronics being discarded, which is nowhere near enough to protect our local environments from harm.In today's article, we take a look at the latest innovations in e-waste recycling, and why you need to start making these a priority for your municipality.

‍E-Waste Reclamation Programs

‍Solving the e-waste problem is going to take some time. While the best minds in North America work on that, it's up to our Public Works Directors to make sure that people have locations where they can drop their significant amounts of e-waste. Many of the materials in computers, cell phones and televisions contain metals that have real value, like gold, aluminum, silver, copper, palladium, iridium and iron. Reclamation programs work to collect and strip these discarded electronics of their reusable and valuable materials.

Many states have implemented laws that make companies who sell these items responsible for their reclamation, which is a step in the right direction. Additional e-waste recycling programs should be implemented at learning institutions, shopping malls and local libraries.

The harmful effects of e-waste on environmental areas are well-known. When locals don't recycle, these items create toxic landfill zones that pollute the ground, the air, and the water in surrounding locations. Human life and wildlife suffer as a result of living near toxic environments.

‍Innovations in reclamation include:

• An incredible biological filter made from mushrooms that is able to reclaim up to 80% of the gold found in e-waste. This comes courtesy of a Research Centre in Finland. This process removes the need for harmful chemicals, and it's significantly more effective.

• Silicone circuit boards have been developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. These can be dissolved in water, dramatically reducing the impact of e-waste reclamation and disposal in landfills. Likewise, dissolvable batteries are being developed for similar reasons.

• Magnetic sorting of e-waste must be embraced to easily split non-magnetic materials from magnetics materials during the scrap sorting process. Magnetic separators are becoming a powerful force in efficient e-waste recycling practice. One company experienced a 300% improvement in processing capacity after installing this technology.

Support for E-waste Recycling Education

‍Electronic waste recycling starts with residents and companies in your municipality. When you support e-waste education it will help residents understand their role in the recycling process, and how to achieve it without causing contamination or harm.Recycle Coach will help you bring everyone together, so that rolling out specific types of recycling information like this is easier. Our technology takes care of the residential education that you need to implement at the start of every successful e-waste recycling process.

Support for E-waste Technology and Progress

‍Technology has the ability to transform the efficiency of the e-waste recycling industry. With better laws that promote recycling, the integration of new technologies and innovations and a push for greater e-waste recycling knowledge among the general public the industry can and will improve.

E-waste has the potential to become a viable income stream for businesses that engage in their own reclamation programs. With an average of 24 electronic devices per household, it's essential that these programs practical and educational are rolled out as soon as possible.

The Public Works Department of every municipality must move to support greater investment for e-waste reclamation facilities, new technologies and resident involvement. E-waste recycling is a long way away from being under control and plans must be made now to recover what we can.

These electronic waste innovations will help us prevent the toxic environmental impact that comes with leaving these items in the landfill or incinerating them. By 2030, each municipality in North America must have established a way for residents to successfully recycle the majority of their electronics safety and consistently. It's up to you to begin this process from within your department.

It's time to make e-waste recycling a priority, so that we can stop telling ourselves it's under control, and actually get it under control.

It's a new year, which means it's time to set new recycling goals! Last year was one for the books for the public works department. You were already dealing with an ongoing climate crisis, worsening recycling rates, and dwindling recycling program budgets. Then another disaster struck: the novel coronavirus.

Now you face lost revenues, limited federal aid, and ever-increasing operational expenses. While the pandemic continues to exacerbate existing budget issues and staff shortages, a lot can still be done to protect and preserve the environment. Creative solutions are what is needed in 2021.

Trash levels are rising from people staying at home. Until the vaccine minimizes the threat, something must be done to encourage residents to recycle more often, especially when it comes to the plastic items they're throwing away every day. Plastic is a relentless scourge that is only getting worse.

‍So here are five creative ways to promote plastic recycling to your local community. Implementing some of these suggestions this year will help inspire residents to do their part in the fight against the struggles of the recycling system.

1. Education on #1 and #2 plastics

Residents assume that all plastics can be recycled, or that any plastic bearing a number along with recycling arrows is recyclable. That's just not true. One way to promote plastic recycling in the community is to educate residents on which plastics can be recycled.

Educational activities come in a variety of forms. These can be email or social media campaigns, they can be linked to a series of blog posts your municipality releases about the issue they can even be part of a local television showcase. This year, get the word out about #1 and #2 plastic recycling.

2. Targeted residential campaigns

No two municipalities are alike. Every town or city in North America faces unique challenges. Targeted residential campaigns zero in on these challenges and aim to fix them. Using new technology, residents are educated about an area of concern, which promotes mass change.

One example is the recent case study conducted by the City of Newark to reduce plastic bag recycling. Using Recycle Coaches education platform, residents were taught not to recycle single use plastic, and the result was an 82% reduction in plastic waste ending up in the recycling stream.

3. Network social media groups

Social media can be a force for positive change if you know how to use it. Right now, there are dozens of grassroots social media groups in your immediate area searching for ways to improve recycling, to be greener, and to make an impact on their local environment. Use them!

Reach out to smaller environmental groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. Tell them about your plastic recycling drive, and ask them to help you spread the word (with tips from Adobe Express). You will be amazed at how far the message will go just by getting micro-organizations involved on social media.

4. Host a virtual community event

Virtual community events have become commonplace since the coronavirus forced everyone indoors. The good news is that these events are usually attended by more people because they are online. All you need is to get some community organizations to jump on board.

An online community event can be anything from a public webinar, a themed games afternoon, or talent show to a variety concert, a photobooth challenge, or a sponsored giveaway series. Get creative about the virtual experience and entice residents to attend.

5. Sponsor a school-wide drive

School-wide drives are an old classic but you can put a fresh spin on them by inviting everyone at the school your team is visiting to download your recycling app. Once connected, you can access plastic campaigns, leader boards, and reward the kids with points and prizes.

Combine an outing to an endangered area or sanctuary with lessons on the app to teach kids about plastic pollution while on the go. Get them all to play a game in-app where they pick up plastic litter from a road in their neighborhood. Show them what a difference it makes!

Promoting plastic recycling in the community isn't always easy. People lead busy lives and don't take the time to stop and hear the messages around them. That's why using technology is so effective. By engaging them and making them a part of something bigger, we stand to impact real change.

The nation is recycling less plastic than ever before. It's time to make this year the one that your municipality stops the plastic epidemic for once and for all. Focus on inspiring residents to change their behavior and solve a key problem in the plastic recycling chain. Whether it's rolling out new education initiatives, connecting with local grassroots groups on Facebook, or hosting large community events online, everyone needs to be aware that plastic is a threat.