How to Construct a Recycling Center

Determine Your Needs

• 1

  Find out what recycling is available in your area. For a home or business center, you should be able to get this information by calling your garbage service or the appropriate city or township agency.

• 2

  Learn how your pickup service wants the recycled materials sorted. Some areas want recycling divided into categories (like glass and paper) and packaged in specific ways. Others have comingled recycling in one large box.

• 3

  Research recycling options outside your basic service. Many states offer refunds for beverage containers. Scrap metal dealers will buy metal that your garbage service might just dump in a landfill. Services exist to handle hazardous materials like batteries, paint, and industrial liquids.

• 4

  Make an itemized list of the different categories you need to service, the type of container that will work to hold them, and any safety protocols required to store the material.

• 5

  Buy your recycling containers at a local business supply or home improvement store. In some communities you can get durable, specifically labeled recycling containers from your garbage company or an environmentally conscious organization.

Set Up Your Sorting Station

• 6

  Design your sorting station taking into account the space required by containers, where you plan to locate the station, and any cosmetic steps you want to take.

• 7

  Empty your recycling containers regularly and carry them outside of the building. In general, the simplest stations work best because extra features tend to just get in the way.

• 8

  Label your containers clearly with the type of recycling materials they contain and any directions for preparation. For example, a sign for glass would include the word "GLASS", instructions to deposit only rinsed-out glass containers, and maybe some pictures of typical glass items.

• 9

  Set up your containers according to your plan.

Arrange for Transportation

• 10

  Confirm with your regular garbage service what kinds of recycled materials they pick up and when.

• 11

  If you're offering recycling beyond the standard garbage service, arrange for pickup with those services willing to do so. In many cases, those pickup services will resell your recycling for profit. Negotiate with them over how much you'll pay for pickup. If possible, schedule the pickups for the same day as your garbage pickup.

• 12

  Schedule your own errand to deliver to the appropriate locations any materials that you can't get picked up. Again, it's best to schedule this on the day that all other recycling goes out. If any of these materials are hazardous, be sure to take all necessary safety precautions.