How to get started with recycling in your business

When should a entrepreneurs think about recycling?

Plan your recycling program early to save money and avoid disruptions later. Early adoption helps:

• align workflows, space and purchasing with recycling goals
• avoid later disruptions, like adding bins or retraining staff
• build a culture of sustainability from the start.

“From an organizational perspective, it’s more effective if you do it early on when culture and habits are still forming,” says Jabbour.

How do you start a business recycling program in Canada?

Start your recycling program by analyzing your waste management practices and creating a simple system for your team.

1. Conduct a waste audit

Before you can recycle effectively, you need to know what you're throwing away or expect to throw away.

Before the start of your operations, you can assess your inputs and outputs to estimate the types and quantity of waste your operations will generate and start implementing necessary recycling programs.

If you are already operating, you can conduct a simple waste audit over a typical week or two. During this period, systematically go through all discarded materials to determine what types of waste are most common to get a rough idea of the volume of each material. This process will help you tailor your recycling program to your business’s needs by identifying what materials to prioritize for collection.

Material examples include:

• Paper
• Plastic bottles
• Aluminum cans
• Organic waste (food scraps)
• Industrial waste (metal shavings, plastic offcuts, textile scraps, rejected parts)
• Chemical and hazardous waste
• Packaging materials (pallets, plastic wrap, cardboard boxes, Styrofoam)

Hire a waste consultant if your team can’t conduct the audit internally.

2. Determine what you’ll recycle

With a clear picture of what materials you are throwing away and in what volume, you can figure out what to collect in your recycling program. It’s crucial to check with a municipal waste management service or a private waste hauler to understand what materials are accepted for recycling and the specific preparation requirements.

If you’re looking for information about how to dispose of your waste, Canada has over 80 provincial stewardship programs covering a wide range of products including used oil, electronics, paint, pharmaceuticals, beverage containers and packaging. These programs are typically managed through extended producer responsibility frameworks, where producers are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products.

Reuse, recycle, and recover materials whenever possible. Start by cutting down on waste, then reuse items when you can, recycle what’s left, and think about turning any leftover waste into energy. The waste hierarchy shows these options in order of preference, from most preferred to least preferred.

The waste hierarchy

3. Consider community needs

Adopt circular economy practices by reusing materials. What is now waste could become a resource for another production line. Could food waste be turned into animal food or compost, for example? You can also think of local schools and non-profit organizations that may benefit from what you throw away.
 
“Good waste management should include reducing and reusing waste. Use social media, connections in the community and local events to share ideas about how your waste might be useful to others or to your own company,” says Jabbour.

4. Choose containers

The volume of each waste type found in the audit will guide the container size and placement choice. For example, a business that generates a lot of cardboard would need a larger bin in its shipping area. In contrast, a company with a busy cafeteria would need multiple, clearly marked bins for different types of waste. Consider size, colour-coding and clear labelling.

5. Use clear instructions and illustrations

When starting a new process, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for employees to adopt it. It’s helpful to use simple, visual guides on or above each bin showing exactly what goes where. Photos of accepted items are more effective than just text.

“Make sure people understand what can and can’t go in each recycling container—and in what condition. Contaminated material is difficult and sometimes impossible to recycle,” says Jabbour.

“Do regular checkups to ensure bins are not contaminated and re-educate your team if there are sorting errors.”

6. Communicate the benefits to your team

Announce your recycling program before installing bins. Use meetings, emails and posters. Emphasize that the program is designed for convenience and place recycling bins where waste is generated—near desks for paper, break rooms for food waste, warehouses, or loading docks for shipping material.

How do you encourage employees to participate?

Employee engagement is integral to a successful, long-term recycling program. This means making your team part of the solution, not just recipients of instructions.

“It’s helpful to involve employees early in the process. Explain why you’re implementing the process, why the materials were chosen and why it’s important for the company,” says Jabbour.

“You may even include them in the design of recycling processes, including bin placements that make sense for each work area.”

Best practices include:

• Conducting surveys
  Ask employees what they currently recycle at home and what challenges they foresee at work.
• Holding brainstorming sessions
  Gather ideas on bin placement, communication strategies or types of materials to collect.
• Setting up a green committee
  Invite volunteers to champion the initiative and provide ongoing feedback.
• Assigning recycling champions or green ambassadors
  Identify enthusiastic employees who can help promote the program, answer questions and gently remind colleagues of the processes and value of the program.
• Offering training or lunch and learns
  Explain why certain items are recycled and the specific rules for your municipality.

How do you make a recycling program a long-term success?

Keep your recycling program going by sharing results and showing employees how their actions make a difference.

“It’s important to set targets that are clear and measurable. Your waste hauler can give data on the kilograms or tons of materials generated, and you could monitor other metrics like cost savings,” says Jabbour.

When it comes to engaging employees, he suggests building systems for continuous improvement and sustained participation, including:

• Regular updates on progress
  Regularly share metrics on the amount of waste recycled. Show how their participation contributes to your company's sustainability goals and the broader environmental impact (e.g., "Every ton of paper recycled saves X trees"). Post updates in common areas or internal newsletters.
• Celebrate small wins and milestones
  Acknowledge participation and announce when you hit your first recycling target or divert a certain amount of waste. This builds momentum and shows appreciation.
• Rotate responsibilities
  If you have a green committee or champions, rotate roles to keep enthusiasm high and distribute the workload.
• Share success stories internally and externally
  Use your social media channels, company newsletters or annual reports to highlight your recycling achievements. This boosts employee pride and enhances your brand image as a responsible Canadian business.

By embracing recycling as a team effort, you can transform waste management from a chore into a powerful demonstration of your commitment to sustainability, fostering a greener business and a more engaged workforce for the long term.

What’s next?

Ready to see what else you can do for the environment? Start by measuring your impact. Understand your business’s carbon footprint with our free GHG calculator toolkit.