Monitoring your recycling service
Monitoring recycling performance
There are a number of things you can do to work out how successful your recycling efforts are. These include:
Check the bins
Arguably the simplest way is simply to check the recycling bins regularly, looking at what’s being put in them and how full they are. You could assign monitoring duties to particular staff (such as cleaners), who can also let you know if you have the right type and number of bins and whether they’ve noticed any .
Complete another waste audit
Regular waste audits give you a snapshot of your recycling efforts across each different type of waste. You can compare the results of these with the audit you did initially, in Step 2, and see the progress you’ve made. This is particularly important if the types of waste your business produces have changed; this could happen if you begin using new products, diversify your business or if your business is affected by seasonal factors such as Christmas (which may mean waste volumes increase).
It’s important to remember that a review audit differs slightly from the initial audit you completed in Step 2. The initial audit is an overall study to see all the waste and recycling your workplace is producing, helping you plan the service you need. A review audit should measure how much you’re recycling, contamination in your recycling, and what’s left in the rubbish bins that could have been recycled. This will help you decide whether you need a different service or need to communicate with or train your staff.
Use waste transfer notes and/or tonnage information
and tonnage information provided by your waste contractor are a quick way to see how much your organisation is now recycling. You can compare these with information from your general waste provider before you began recycling.
Compare the before and after costs
Recycling should save you money, so by comparing the costs of your old waste management service and your new service you should see whether you’ve reduced your costs.