Recycling goes beyond paper to items such as promotional products.
Americans recycle about 28 percent of total waste in the United States today, which is double the amount recycled 10 years ago. More businesses are becoming increasingly vigilant about creative recycling, including recycling things like promotional items. When companies recycle more and throw less in dumpsters, they may eventually need less dumpsters and realize cost savings. Whether a firm overspends on promotional items or rolls out a new logo, small promotional item recycling efforts can add up to big results over time.
Instructions
1. Inventory your firm's promotional items. Develop a list including golf shirts with logos, pens, note pads, key chains and others. Using a spreadsheet, enter the item name, number of items on hand and dollar value. Determine which items you don't want to deliver to customers any longer and want to recycle. For example, since companies need to promote a new logo consistently, employees should not distribute old logo items to customers and prospects.
2. Determine if it is appropriate to deliver outdated promotional items to employees. For those items that are acceptable, distribute to any department within your organization that can make use of them. For example, you can hand out logo pens and notepads to all departments. Use promotional items, such as golf shirts with a previous logo, as employee prizes during company contests or outings.
3. Sell some of the promotional items on a nationwide recycling website. You can also offer them on community bulletin boards for local family or business use. If your company does not anticipate any buyers, offer the items at no cost.
4. Donate remaining items to small business centers, charities and schools. These organizations appreciate low-cost office supply items, such as note pads and pens, regardless of the logo. Your company can consult with a tax adviser to see if the charitable donations are tax deductible. You can also consider exchanging unwanted promotional items without logos with another business that has items that you would use.
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