Step #10: Implement Program

Because there are so many elements to the program, the champion needs to identify team members who can help take responsibility for some of them. The champion is responsible for the overall program, but he/she can not do it all alone. Even if one person could do it all, the program wouldn't have the mix of ideas required to "grow" the best program possible. After all your groundwork has been completed, the program needs to be implemented. The team can make a checklist and assign completion dates to the major parts of the program. The decisions about individual responsibilities need to be addressed.

Some suggested action items may include:

• Who distributes the recycling bins?
• Who decides if there needs to be more or less bins per given area?
• Who decides what commodities are collected and labels the bins?
• Who empties the bins?
• Who transports the material to the MRF?
• Who operates the balers?
• Who services the balers when they get full?
• Who do you contact if the duties are not completed correctly?
• Who do they contact if something is wrong?
• Who is in charge of the documentation and results'?
• Who gets the information to the media/bulletin boards?
• Who gets the material moving out after processing?
• What penalties exist for non participation? (This is for senior management to address.)

Office "Clean-Out"

The idea of an office "clean out your files day" has been very well received. This clean out day can be successful for many reasons.

• The day kicks off the recycling program in a big way to let people know something has changed.
• The letter from the president, or other senior management person, stating the importance of this program is amplified hosting this event.
• This is a great time to allow the people to come to work in blue jeans and T shirts and get their office tidied up. The opportunity to dress casual has worked well as an advertisement about the event's kickoff.
• The amount of floor space and furniture that becomes available will surprise everyone. ( It's hard to justify a five shelf bookcase in the office if it's empty.)
• You have quick results to show the workforce as you report the amount of paper, equipment, and space recycled during this single event.
• If the facility has a clean-out day, the people who violate the program's rules can not say they were not informed.)

-"Reality Check"-

The actual steps involved in developing and implementing a site specific program will vary depending on the maturity of your existing program, if any, and the corporate culture.

Some additional ideas that you may want to consider include:

• Put up a bulletin board of things found in the wrong bin (i.e., metals, plastics, Styrofoam, food, etc).
• Before you start, complete baseline audits of specific departments and perform follow-up audits in 6 months to gauge their performance.
• Set up prizes to be given out on the "clean out" day. Have a number hidden inside the recycling handbook that is used for the drawings. This will encourage the employees to open the book and look inside. If you have a "cherished" prize, then maybe having a drawing once a month would cause each person to keep a tighter hold on his/her book.
• The program team members should wear their environmental shirts to foster awareness.
• One idea that keeps being suggested is to promote competition between engineering departments to see who collects the most magazines on clean up day. This makes cleaning fun and gets a few more magazines off the shelf. This competition idea sounds good, but in reality, it is very hard to judge fairly; causes a lot of needless tracking; and ultimately rewards the areas that have been pack rats in the past.
• Keep in mind that you will make some mistakes as your program develops. Don't dwell on them. Learn from them and go forward. As long as you keep focused on the overall program goal, treat everyone honestly and fairly, and work new environmental successes into your program, you will succeed.