Waste Less. Recycle More. @ Lunch!

By Melanie Stewart

Did you know that most of the waste generated in offices comes from food and beverage containers? And most of those food and beverage containers are recyclable! Whether it’s yogurt containers, frozen food trays, cardboard boxes or soda cans, most of what is commonly packed in a lunch can be recycled.

You are invited to join in an eight-week campaign encouraging everybody to recycle lunch containers! The challenge is for each person to pledge to recycle all of their recyclable lunch containers at least two days per week until December 23rd.

At least twice per week, you can flatten your cardboard and place it in a container or between a container and the wall, rinse your plastic and aluminum food containers and utensils and place them in the recycling bins instead of the trash—that’s all there is to it! This small action taken by all of you will divert thousands of pounds of waste from going into our landfill.

There are 5 ways to participate:

1. Take the pledge to recycle all your recyclable lunch containers at least two days per week. Sign your name to take the pledge!
2. Visit the website and/or watch the Recycling Guide Video to find out which kinds of common materials are recyclable, and how to recycle them.
3. At least twice per week, rinse your lunch containers, flatten your cardboard and RECYCLE the container(s) in the correct bin.
4. Take a picture of your recycling effort and post your photo on social media with the hashtag #RecycleMore, to encourage your coworkers to take part as well.
5. Tell a friend or coworker! Recycling is an easy action that anybody can take to have a positive impact.  Encourage them to participate in these same ways.

Start this week: as you finish your lunch, remember to rinse your plastic or metal lunch items and place them in a recycling bin, break down cardboard/paperboard and place it between the wall and a bin, or place it in a cardboard container.  Let your EVS person know what’s what so they can get it recycled.  The challenge is for just two days each week, but feel free to do it for all five!

When you take these easy steps, you help make a big difference; Happy Recycling!