Starting a construction-site recycling plan for your business is a great way to save money and help to preserve the environment. But in order to be successful you need to make sure that you’re prepared for difficulties and have solutions in place. Here are a few things to keep in mind for when challenges appear:

1) You need a manager to oversee the responsibility. It’s important that someone be a designated the go-to authority in the recycling plan as they will be responsible for informing subcontractors, crew, and other employees of the expectations. This person will need to supervise the efforts to ensure that loads of recycling materials do not become contaminated.

2) Inform your sub-contractors of your recycling program and through your hiring arrangement, require them to recycle their materials as well.

3) Establish adequate space for recycling. Create a space within the job-site for storing recycling bins and storing building materials that has been salvaged.

4) Effectively communicate the recycling plan. Make sure information is provided frequently and in a variety of locations to remind all those working on the site.

5) Designate how materials should be separated, how often they will be collected, who will be responsible for delivering them to the appropriate facilities.

6) Develop strategies to avoid contamination of recycling bins by clearly labeling bins and posting lists of appropriate materials for each. Monitor bins regularly to verify that rules are being followed and provide feedback to all crew, subcontractors, and employees on their efforts.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Launching a job-site recycling program may take a little effort at first but in no time it will become a regular part of each job-site plan!