Business Recycling Laws

860-688-5165
261 Broad St, Windsor, CT 06095

You do your part by recycling newspapers, bottles and cans at home, but do you do the same at your business?

State recycling requirements apply to everyone in Connecticut, including the small business owner.

It may seem that your business generates little waste and that recycling that small amount would benefit no one - but there are 86,000 small businesses in Connecticut, so you do make an impact.

For example, research has indicated that, nationwide, offices with fewer than 50 employees generate nearly 40% of discarded printing and writing (P&W) paper. Yet only 30% of small businesses have P&W paper collection programs.

Rough estimates of Connecticut small business generation of two of Connecticut's mandated recyclables i.e. high grade white office paper (HGWOP) and old corrugated cardboard (OCC), indicate that small businesses generate approximately 15,678 tons/year of HGWOP and 72,000 tons/year of OCC.

Getting Started Recycling

1. FIND OUT WHAT TYPES OF WASTE YOU GENERATE
Do a waste audit - just look at what is in your trash, or if your waste stream is more complex, you can get someone to do it for you.

The Connecticut Business Environmental Council (CBEC) will do free waste reviews of your small business if it is located in one of the Tunxis project towns (Windsor is not.) CBEC is a non-profit group of businesses whose goals include helping businesses (large and small) recycle. You can reach CBEC by calling (203) 248-6353.

If your business is not located in one of those towns, and you need help with a waste review, contact your municipal recycling coordinator or you can call the DEP Recycling Office for technical assistance (860) 424-3365.

2. DISCOVER WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED
If you generate any of the state mandated recyclables, you need to recycle them. What are they?

Items Required to be Recycled by All Businesses - by State Mandate:

High Grade White Office Paper (HGWOP) - High grade white office paper such as copy paper, computer paper, office stationery, memo paper etc.

Old Corrugated Cardboard (OCC) - Old or discarded corrugated boxes - unwaxed (corrugated has an upper and lower liner with a fluted medium in between).

Old Newspaper (ONP) - Used or discarded newspapers

Glass & Metal Food Containers - Includes non-deposit as well as deposit bottles and cans and used foil trays, etc. used to package beverages or food products suitable for human or animal consumption.

Leaves - Foliage which has fallen from trees (must be composted).

Waste Oil - Used crankcase oil (from internal combustion engines)

Lead Acid Storage Batteries - used in cars, automobiles, airplanes, boats, tractors, etc.

Scrap Metal - Used or discarded items which consist predominantly of metals such as iron, aluminum, brass, copper, lead, chromium, tin, nickel, etc. or alloys of these metals, including but not limited to white goods (appliances).

NiCd Rechargeable Batteries - Nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries, both those contained within appliances and those sold individually are required to be recycled after they no longer are usable.

Grass - Grass may not be disposed at CT landfills and resource recovery facilities. The best way to manage grass is to practice grasscycling by leaving grass clippings on the lawn

In addition to the state mandated recyclables listed above, local ordinances may designate other items required to be recycled. These can include: paper beverage containers (such as milk cartons and aseptic juice packages); old magazines (OMG); plastic containers [usually PET (#1) and HDPE (#2)] ; etc. Your town recycling coordinator (town department of public works or office of your town's CEO) can provide information regarding these additional recyclables.

3. GET THEM TO A RECYCLING CENTER
Here is where you need to get creative.

If you generate large amounts of a particular recyclable, economies of scale will make it easy for you to find a hauler to pick-up and recycle it, or you could self-haul to a recycling facility or end market. However, even if you generate small quantities of the designated recyclables check with your hauler anyway; he may have a cost-effective way for you to recycle.

If your hauler cannot set-up a cost-effective recycling program not, check with your municipal recycling coordinator to see if your town has a recycling drop-off site or some other program to help the small businesses in your town recycle.

If your town does not, get together with other town businesses and your local chamber or other business association and have them work with the town to establish convenient, low cost, small business recycling options such as: Establishing recycling drop-off sites in convenient-to-use areas (places normally visited or traveled-by on a regular basis - such as banks, town hall, etc.).

Allowing small businesses to use existing residential recycling drop-off sites and adding high grade white office paper to the material collected at those sites.

Allowing small businesses to recycle their bottles & cans, ONP, and other similar recyclables using the curbside residential recycling infrastructure and setting-up a separate system, either drop-off or combination drop-off/pick-up for recycling the old corrugated containers and high grade white office paper from the businesses.

Establishing cooperative recycling programs for joint pick-up and marketing of recyclables from small business. Cooperative hauling contracts can either entail individual pick-up from each business or can involve the businesses bringing the recyclables to nearby consolidation points - from which the hauler picks-up; or can entail a combination of both.

A small business recycling cooperative can:

"Take advantage of economies of scale, lowering each member's operational and management costs for collection, storage, and processing and sale of recyclables;

"Enhance the visibility of recycling in the community, increasing participation in recycling efforts and reducing costs associated with passing on technical information to businesses in the community; and

"Achieve greater leverage in the recyclables market place and thus strengthen the market price for the cooperatives collected recyclables."

(From a factsheet developed by SAIC, Newport, RI.)

Call the CT DEP Recycling Office (860) 424-3365 for an informational package on setting-up small business recycling cooperatives.

Information is also available on establishing unique recycling options, such as a program established in Cheshire, CT - where an organization servicing clients with developmental disabilities provides recycling services to small businesses.

Some Connecticut municipalities provide recycling curbside pick-up for their smaller businesses (either through a municipal contract or by municipal employee pick-up) - similar programs could be provided in your town. Check with your town recycling contact.

The above options will allow your small business to recycle in a sustainable, convenient, and cost effective manner. Once you have implemented a successful recycling program, you will be generating less garbage for disposal. Adjust your trash pick-up program i.e. size of container and /or frequency of pick-up, to take economic advantage of the decreased amounts of trash that will need to be picked-up.

In June of 1998, the DEP conducted four workshops for municipal recycling coordinators to provide information on how they could help the small businesses in their town recycle. If your town was represented, they will be aware of these options. If not, they can call DEP and get a copy of the information packet provided to workshop attendees.

If you have questions or suggestions or need additional help, please do not hesitate to contact Judy Belaval at the CT DEP Recycling Office at (860) 424-3237 , e-mail judy.belaval@po.state.ct.us

KEEP ON REDUCING, REUSING, and RECYCLING

Source:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2714&Q=324900

Upcoming Events