RECYCLING: IT'S YOUR BUSINESS
Whether you are interested in starting a recycling business or incorporating recycling practices into your business, RECYCLING makes good business sense. And, it is everyone's business: it saves resources and energy; it saves money; it protects landfill space; it reduces litter and illegal dumping; it creates new jobs; and it may be a new source of income.* This website identifies a variety of resources that may help you become a successful "ecopreneur" or make your business environmentally-friendly.
Information about recycling in general is also provided. It ain't easy being green--it takes a commitment and a conscience--but it is certainly in everyone's best interest to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
*Charleston County Solid Waste, For Land's Sake (November 2002 newsletter).
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BECOMING AN "ECOPRENEUR": STARTING A RECYCLING BUSINESS
Environmental Assistance Services for Small Businesses: A Resource Guide is a publication of the Environmental Protection Agency that contains resources to help small businesses find funding opportunities and support services from the EPA. It also provides “hotlines” and contact information for small business assistance and clearinghouses on specific environmental issues.
Financing Guide for Recycling Businesses: Investment Forums, Meetings and Networks is a guidebook published by the EPA that describes how recycling businesses can obtain financing. Available both on the web and in a pdf document, it covers topics such as writing a business plan, business strategies, and recycling investment forums, and contains a regional directory of forums, networks, and associations.
How to Start Your Own Paper Recycling Business provides general advice and an overview on starting up a paper recycling business.
Jobs Through Recycling provides information on the recycling market as well as sources of technical and financial assistance for recycling businesses.
Recycle Exchange is a resource for recycling and waste management professionals. The site provides industry-specific news, an events calendar, business resources, discussion forums, and a marketplace where you can buy, sell, or exchange materials or equipment.
No matter what kind of business you wish to start up, whether a recycling business or any other type, the Small Business Association is an invaluable resource for information on starting and financing your business, business opportunities, and legal and regulatory information.
Small Business Environmental Home Page contains a wealth of information for recycling businesses (and other small businesses) including updates on laws and regulations; links to industry sectors, trade associations, and funding resources; and information on small business assistance.
South Carolina Recycles: A Directory of Recycling Programs and Markets is a comprehensive directory of businesses and organizations that will help you find markets for recyclable materials.
Starting a Recycling Business is a 38-page document that outlines every step it would take to start a recycling business in California. This document is comprehensive, covering everything from understanding the market, to fulfilling legal and tax requirements, to planning the business, to lists of resources. While some of the resources are state-specific, most of its content would apply to anyone, anywhere, who could simply contact their local equivalent agency.
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RECYCLING IN THE WORKPLACE
Business Recycling Assistance Program is a program through SCDHEC that provides technical assistance to businesses, industry, and government agencies in the areas of waste reduction, recycling, buying recycled, and recycling market development.
Fisher Recycling is a commercial recycling business in Charleston that collects and disposes of recyclable materials from businesses, offices, hotels, and restaurants. In addition to recycling paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal, Fisher also recycles electronic equipment and shreds paper (which is recycled after shredding). Fisher also offers educational programs designed to train employees about the benefits of recycling and to encourage their involvement in your business’s recycling program.
GreenBiz.com is an information clearinghouse to help businesses integrate environmental responsibility into their business practices. For information specific to starting a workplace recycling program, follow the links provided in its Web Guide to the following: Workplace Recycling, Guide to Starting a Workplace Recycling Program, and How to Start Up an Office Recycling Program. Also, check out its publication Greening Your Business: A Primer for Smaller Companies which provides a checklist of resources to help your business become greener. Alternatively, you may search the features available in its Reference Desk.
South Carolina Recycles: A Directory of Recycling Programs and Markets is a comprehensive directory of businesses and organizations that will help you find information on recycling programs.
Starting a Business Recycling Program is a short publication by SCDHEC that outlines the benefits of recycling at places of business, lists materials that can be recycled, and offers suggestions as to how to incorporate a recycling program in your business.
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GENERAL INFORMATION SOURCES
The Charleston County Solid Waste and Recycling Department is responsible for the County’s curbside recycling program and maintains several drop-off sites. It also sponsors educational programs and is an advocate for several environmental protection efforts. The website provides a recyclable materials list, addresses for drop-off locations, and an outline of the department’s long-range plans.
Earth 911's Reuse and Recycling Centers page provides community-specific information about recycling. Just enter your zipcode where prompted for local drop-off centers as well as fact sheets about various materials.
EnviroLink’s "Recycling" Page contains links to a variety of recycling resources on topics such as taking action, education, government initiatives, publications, and organizations. (The entire EnviroLink website itself provides comprehensive and up-to-date on a variety of environmental issues that may lead you to other areas of interest.)
Of course, keeping current on issues pertaining to recycling is important to do whether you are in your own recycling business or if you are overseeing a recycling program at your office. The following resources provide links to a variety of publications that may help you stay abreast on news, trends, and issues, and provide helpful guidance.
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance list of Recycling Publications: click on the field of interest for a list of publications on that topic.
- Recyclers’s World Publications Index: click on the publication title for subscription information.
- Resource Recycling: available
periodicals include Resource Recycling Magazine, The Latest Recycling News,
E-Scrap News, Plastics Recycling Update, and Container Recycling Report.
Office of Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling, SCDEC, answers your Frequently Asked Questions about the disposal, recycling, and reuse of waste and other unwanted materials.
Recycling Today is a portal for the professional recycling industry. The website provides links to hundreds of resources including its own magazine and other publications, conferences, directories for equipment and various recycling markets, research polls, training, associations, and legislation.
Recycler's World is a world-wide trading site for information related to secondary or recyclable comomodities, by-products, and used and surplused items. The site provides a worldwide recycling directory, as well as links to information about various materials, equipment, grades and specifications, material exchanges, etc.
Other portals that provide links to a variety of recycling topics, services, organizations, centers, and forums include:
- Virtual Library, "Environment/Recycling, Composting, and Waste Reduction"
- Open Directory Project, "Society/Issues/Environment: Waste and Recycling"
- Environmental Organization WebDirectory, "Recycling"
RECYCLING ASSOCIATIONS
Bureau of International Recycling is an international trade federation that represents the world's recycling industry, and offers a forum for industrial exchange and business contacts. BIR provides expertise to other industrial sectors and political groups in order to promote recycling. Its website offers information about various recycling processes, statistics on benefits and recycling facts, access to a variety of publications. Membership entitles you to additional benefits.
The Carolina Recycling Association is a regional association that advances waste reduction and recycling in North and South Carolina. CRA sponsors educational workshops and events; offers a membership program; and coordinates volunteer councils in areas of special interest such as composting, “green building,” and household hazardous waste. The website also has many useful links to associations/organizations, industry and manufacturing, government, and miscellaneous sites.
Grass Roots Recycling Network is an advocacy group dedicated to achieving "Zero Waste." The network consists of waste reduction activists and recycling professionals who utilize grassroots efforts to increase public, corporate, and governmental awareness of the waste of natural and human resources with an aim towards building sustainable communities.
The National Recycling Coalition has 4,500 members including recycling and environmental organizations dedicated to advancing and improving recycling, reduction, composting, and reuse. It provides technical information, education, training, outreach, and advocacy services to its members in order to conserve resources and benefit the environment.
For a comprehensive listing of additional recycling associations, check out the following:
- Recycling Today's Associations link
- Yahoo! commercial directory B2B Recycling/Organizations
- Global Recycling Network's Alphabetical Associations Index
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