Companies should think about their carbon footprint. The first step to having a more green-conscious business model is to train your employees how to be better to the Earth.

Informing employees is the first step. Training an employee should include even the shortest conversation about composting and recycling. Employers can talk to their workers about what is recyclable and what is compostable, and what has to be trash.

Companies can be more intentional in treating the Earth better by providing recycling bins in all work areas — not just in some locations. Employees should pay attention when recycling, too, by breaking down boxes. More space makes the company able to recycle more with the space they have for bins!

Rinsing plastics is essential, because recycling facilities will not be able to take the time to sort rinsed from dirty containers, and cannot recycle contaminated materials. So in order to truly help by recycling, an individual must clean glass, metal, and plastic containers before recycling them. Most employees don’t think twice before throwing any item in the trash, because they don’t see that it will end up in a landfill. They think once they’ve thrown it away, it is no longer their concern. We need to change this mindset to one that cares about the impact.

Recycling is not difficult, and instilling the same passion in all employees to care about their environmental impact shouldn’t be either. Companies have a lot of waste, even when recycling and composting are part of the everyday actions of even a portion of the employees. Businesses should work towards being more environmentally conscious about the amount of waste they produce.