KAB seeks to improve workplace recycling

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

On the occasion of the 15^th annual America Recycles Day, national beautification group Keep America Beautiful is encouraging businesses and government to take their Recycling at Work pledge.

The pledge asks businesses, governments and institutional entities — such as school and hospitals — to commit to a 10-percent increase in the recycling of paper products, beverage containers, electronics and batteries in the workplace through a variety of actions by 2015. It also encourages the recycling of food waste and other biodegradables.

The Recycling at Work program asks these entities to take the pledge on AmericaRecyclesDay.org and report actions taken to increase recycling. KAB will then compile the data and issue a comprehensive report in 2015, fulfilling its commitment made in partnership with aluminum company Alcoa and the Alcoa Foundation at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City.

Recycling at Work's 2015 goals will be achieved through a series of approaches that include:

• Increasing employee awareness of the availability of recyclable services and the benefits of recycling in offices and other facilities;
• Enhancing infrastructure and communications to enable greater recycling and diversion of materials at these locations;
• Identifying cost-effective opportunities to incorporate consideration of end-of-life recyclability and increased recycled content into the products purchased;
• Reporting on progress each year through the Recycling at Work online system; and,
• Inviting other organizations to take the Recycling at Work pledge.

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