As of January 1, 2005, Seattle businesses are prohibited from putting cardboard, paper and yard debris in the garbage. If your business does not recycle these materials, now is the time to set up a recycling program. If you are already recycling these materials, consider adding new materials to your program like beverage containers, computers and toner cartridges.

Recycling and Donation Options

Go to Resource Venture’s Recycle It! database to find recycling and donation options for more than 200 different types of business waste. The materials below are linked to additional information that provides more detail on how and where to recycle the featured materials.

• Computers and other electronics

• Construction debris (PDF, 1,184 kb)

• Fluorescent lamps and ballasts

• Fluorescent lamps and ballasts recycling information sheet (PDF, 56 kb)

• Food waste

Maximizing Your Disposal-cost Savings

Your company pays for garbage collection and may pay a small fee for recycling pick-up as well. How then can recycling collection save you money? When you separate materials for recycling, your garbage container will likely be less full. Instead of paying to have that empty space hauled away, ask your garbage hauler to reduce the size of your bin and/or pick it up less frequently. The savings in lower garbage bills often pays for the small fee charged for recycling collection. To learn more about disposal-cost savings and to see an illustration, read our fact sheet, Are There Dollars In Your Dumpster? (PDF, 64 kb).

To avoid recycling collection fees all together, consider self-hauling your recyclables to a drop-off or buy-back center, including the City's two Recycling and Disposal Stations. Resource Venture's Database of local Recyclers, Recycle It!, also provides referrals to and information on local drop-off locations and collection options.

Small Businesses Recycling Opportunities

Small businesses in Seattle have more recycling options today than ever before. They can:

• Arrange for pick up through a private recycling company or the City of Seattle's Commercial Cart Recycling Service;

• Self-haul their recyclables to a drop-off or buy-back center, including the City's two Recycling and Disposal Stations or

• "Piggy-back" onto a neighboring business' recycling program (with their approval, of course) or band together to start a new program.

Recycling for Businesses in Multi-tenant Buildings

In buildings where space is leased to multiple business tenants, it is generally most cost-effective for the property manager to set up recycling service for the whole building. If your building does not have a recycling program, let your property manager know that recycling in Seattle is mandatory. If he or she is not willing to set up a program, any business can arrange for recycling collection individually, as long as there is an adequate location to store the recyclables for pick-up. For smaller businesses that rent space, look into the small business recycling options described above.

The same key elements for setting up a recycling program apply to a multi-tenant building, but the property manager may want to start by conducting a Tenant Recycling Assessment Survey (PDF, 56 kb). This will help the manger determine what types of recyclable materials are generated in the building. Visit our Publications page to download other resources for property managers.

Additional How-to Information

Preventing waste and recycling are very people-oriented activities that work best with a simple program structure (similar to other work-related programs, like worker safety or diversity). The following four elements are key to setting up a successful business waste prevention and recycling program:

• An enthusiastic, knowledgeable coordinator

• A simple, reliable collection system

• Effective promotion and education

• An involved janitorial staff

Resource Venture has developed a "7 Steps Guide"(PDF, 780 kb) to assist you in setting up a recycling program. Visit the Free Resources pages to view the guide and other helpful materials.