Archive for March, 2014
Recycle Right: Choose the Proper Can for Your Office
Steel Recycle Bins
Recycle with the Perfect Recycling Trash Can
300 to 400 tons of trash are dumped daily on the once bucolic island of Thilafushi in the Maldives, transforming it into a toxic wasteland. Moscow, Naples, and the state of New Jersey are plagued by chronic landfill overflow problems, inciting political debate and international press coverage. In Los Angeles, two Material Recycling Facilities, or MRFs, have experienced an overnight spike in volume from 200 tons a day each to a combined 10,000 after the closure of America’s largest landfill, which received a staggering 12,000 tons of waste a day, or half of Los Angeles County’s daily trash production. Many American landfills will reach capacity within the next five years, and operators are resorting to incineration, which is considered hazardous because of toxic air pollution. On this front, the EPA is conducting a study on dioxin emissions to determine if this practice is safe or would cause long term health devastation to local communities like the Seveso disaster. Recycling is universally touted as the most immediate solution to the global landfill crisis. Recycling trash cans can help in getting you started.
Even if your office has never recycled before, it only takes a few simple steps to start. First, identify local facilities or municipal collection programs that will accept materials. If quick Googling doesn’t help, many MRFs are listed in regional online databases such as these. Any local or regional MRF or waste management provider could be helpful in directing you to your nearest facility or hauling service. Second, choose the perfect office recycling bins to do the job. Lastly, start your recycling campaign at the office. For specialty needs like e-waste, business to business arrangements may also be suitable as several large U.S. based electronics manufacturers have committed to recycling divisions.
How to Minimize Waste at Work
Based on collection availability in your area, match with the items your office tends to produce. Every office where people eat lunch and have snack breaks will produce some blue category recyclables such as glass and plastic bottles. Maybe your office also produces a large volume of e-waste, scrap metal, plastic bags, construction materials or biodegradable materials. These different categories of items typically do not go to the same facility, so multiple bins or sectioned cans with separate liners are required for collection.
Encourage recycling in the work place by selecting the proper public recycle bin for your needs. An office producing large amounts of recyclable paper may want to shirk desk trash cans for small recycling wastebaskets and place a community waste receptacle for trash. Any office can encourage paper recycling by placing a can near a shared printer or copier. A recycling can in decorative gloss chrome or metallic silver reminds workers where to place aluminum, scrap metal, or e-waste. Covered bins can reduce the odor problem associated with biodegradable material. If your office produces multiple categories of recyclables or employees are confused by the recycling initiative, office recycling bins are available that are compartmentalized, labelled, and custom colored to collect multiple types of materials and remind employees of a can’s designated purpose.
Trash Cans Unlimited offers an array of designer receptacles to meet any recycling need.
FollowChoosing the right trash receptacle for your office
Garbage Cans for the Office
Choose the Right Trash Can for Your Office Space
Offices have spaces with various functions – desks for working, conference rooms for meeting, and lunchrooms for eating. Just like every space is designed for its intended function, there are a variety of different kinds of trash receptacles for all areas of your office. Your trash says a lot about your office – make sure your indoor and outdoor garbage cans are creating the right message.
Benefits of Proper Disposal
Ensuring employees and customers have the right options for trash and recycling disposal can help your business in many ways:
- recycling bins promote green corporate culture
- tidy desks free of trash increase productivity
- neat floors and surfaces show attention to detail
- good hygiene improves the health and safety of employees and customers
- covered trash cans reduce unwanted food smells
Finding the Right Trash Can
Your office should have the right trash can for every area of the building. Outdoor trash cans allow people to dispose of unwanted items before entering your building, which reduces the amount of litter both outside and inside your building. Depending on your company’s needs, outdoor trash options could include garbage cans, smokers receptacles, or recycling bins.
When choosing indoor trash cans, smaller decorative options can add to the overall design of your office, which serving as a place to get rid of trash. Small under desk trash cans can help your employees keep their space clean and orderly, without having to interrupt their work with a walk to a far away garbage can. Keep in mind that smaller trash cans should be emptied more often to reduce overflows.
Trash cans for office kitchens, lunchrooms, or break rooms should have a lid to avoid unwanted food smells from traveling through the office. Lids will also cover any unsightly food wastes that could attract insects and give your office a messy or unkempt appearance.
Surprisingly, more trash cans doesn’t always mean less litter, so be sure to find the right balance to meet the needs of your office. A few strategically placed garbage receptacles will reduce litter more than several haphazardly placed options.
Types of Garbage Cans
Trash receptacles come in all shapes and sizes and can be made from:
- metal
- steel
- stainless steel
- plastic
- natural materials
Choosing the right material will ensure your office trash can is durable enough for its location and type of trash, and can also make a difference when it comes to cleaning or other maintenance.
