A successful waste-reduction program depends on staff, visitor and patient awareness and participation. Be sure to clearly communicate program requirements, goals and achievements.
Consider the following steps when communicating with staff:
- Step 1: Staff and volunteer training
- Step 2: Marketing and communications
- Step 3: Proper signage
- Step 4: Rewards and recognition
- Step 5: Monitoring
Step 1: Staff and volunteer training
- Provide all staff, volunteers and contracted staff (such as cleaning staff) with an orientation guide outlining the program and its requirements.
- Re-train staff on a regular basis, focusing on problem areas and new systems or procedures.
- Regularly ask staff for feedback and suggestions.
Step 2: Marketing and communications
- Create a program name (and logo if possible) to include on all communications, including bins.
- Develop and maintain an orientation guide explaining the key elements of the program.
- Meet with staff in person to address any questions or concerns.
- Develop green teams (by department or hospital-wide) to implement program initiatives and serve as change agents.
- Publish a program newsletter, bulletin or blog. (Check out the University Health Network’s blog, Talkin' Trash With UHN.)
Step 3: Proper signage
- Make signs clear and easy to read.
- Use images and text – images work well because they are universal.
- Mount posters and displays in common areas to keep greening initiatives top of mind.
Step 4: Rewards and recognition
- Promote any recognition your program receives to motivate staff and volunteers.
- Hold morale-building events like a barbeque or a party to recognize waste-reduction efforts.
- Develop theme weeks to encourage staff and volunteer engagement.
- Communicate the success of waste diversion programs to staff and visitors.
Step 5: Monitoring
- Encourage your cleaning staff to help monitor staff and volunteer participation.
- Monitor and evaluate the program to ensure its viability and success. Track any revenue as well as savings, such as:
- recycling revenues
- amount of waste reduced
- amount of waste diverted
- reduced garbage bills
- reduced purchasing or operating costs
- regulatory and compliance expenses
- Schedule quarterly program meetings for all managers to assess current practices and discuss ways to improve the program.
- Designate program leads to remind staff that this is a serious, monitored waste-reduction program.
- Clearly communicate the consequences of not following the program (such as higher garbage costs and less frequent garbage pick-up).
In a hospital setting, volunteers, visitors and patients all contribute to the waste problem. It is critical that your communication strategy addresses all of these groups.
Proper signage and bin placement are essential to ensuring hospital visitors know where to find recycling bins, confidential paper bins, biomedical waste bins and garbage bins.
Always remember to promote waste REDUCTION first. Visitors to a hospital often consume take-out food and drinks and read newspapers and magazines. Consider mounting posters to raise awareness.
For patients, make waste diversion as easy as possible. Ensure your patients know where they can find the recycling bins.
Orientation guide contents
Help staff understand your waste-reduction program by providing an orientation guide that includes:
- program overview
- program goals
- sorting locations and depots
- lists of materials that can and can’t be recycled
- instructions for any non-recyclable materials
- special, highlighted instructions for hazardous materials
- separate instructions for handling every type of material
- signage samples
- a quarterly management meeting schedule
Remember to include facilities management or environmental services contact information in case staff and volunteers have questions.
