Office Trash and Recycling: A Simple System That Actually Works

That Cleaning Girl · Office Cleaning

Trash seems like the simplest part of office cleaning, but it's where a lot of offices go wrong. Overflowing cans, smelly kitchen bins and recycling full of coffee cups. Now that your floors are covered from Office Floor Cleaning: Carpet, Tile, Vinyl Plank and Entry Mats, let's set up a trash system that runs itself.

This is what works in the small offices we clean around Waxahachie, Midlothian and south DFW.

Put cans where the trash happens

Most trash problems are really placement problems. If there's no can near the coffee maker, people leave sugar packets on the counter. If the copier has no recycling bin next to it, misprints end up in the regular trash or on the floor.

• One small can at each desk, or one shared can per cluster of desks.
• A lidded can in the break room for food waste.
• A recycling bin next to the copier and printer.
• A can in every restroom, near the door so people can use a paper towel to open it and toss it on the way out.
• A can by the front door for visitors, especially if people come in with coffee cups.

Pick the right size and type

Small cans fill up fast. Big cans hide smells longer. For most offices:

• Desk cans can be small, since they're mostly paper.
• Break room cans should have a lid and be big enough for a day of lunch trash.
• Restroom cans need to handle a lot of paper towels.

Lids matter in the kitchen. In a Texas summer, an open can of food waste in a warm office over a long weekend can turn a Monday into a very bad day.

Food waste and smells

Food trash is the part that causes smells, ants and fruit flies. A few habits help a lot:

• Take kitchen trash out at the end of every day if people eat lunch at work.
• Never leave food trash in desk cans over a weekend.
• Wipe the inside of the kitchen can now and then.
• Sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom of the can under the liner.
• Tie up bags before tossing them in the outdoor dumpster so they don't leak.

Making recycling actually work

Recycling only works if it's easy and clear. Find out what your building or city recycling service accepts; it can vary from place to place. Then:

• Label the recycling bins with pictures or simple words.
• Keep them right next to the trash cans so people don't have to walk.
• Rinse cans and bottles before they go in, so they don't get sticky and attract ants.
• Break down boxes before they go in the bin.

The most common mistake is greasy pizza boxes and coffee cups with lids going into paper recycling. A small sign helps. So does putting one person in charge of answering the question, is this recyclable, so the bins don't turn into a guessing game every Friday.

Shredding and sensitive papers

Offices that handle personal information, like insurance, real estate, tax and medical offices, usually have a shredding bin or a shredding service. Keep confidential papers out of the regular trash and recycling entirely. Your cleaner should empty regular trash and recycling, and leave the locked shredding bin for your shredding service. Make sure it's clearly labeled so there's no confusion.

What your cleaner handles

On every visit, we:

• Empty every trash can in the office.
• Replace liners.
• Collect recycling into your designated bins.
• Wipe out cans that are sticky or smelly.
• Take bags to your outdoor dumpster or designated spot.

Let us know where your dumpster is, whether there's a gate code and whether your recycling goes to a separate container. All of that goes into the entry notes we keep on file.

Between visits

If your cleaner comes weekly, someone on your team will still need to handle the kitchen trash daily, especially if people eat at the office. Assign it by name or by day. Desk cans can usually wait for the cleaning visit unless they're full of food.

Big events, like a client lunch or a holiday party, produce a lot of extra trash. Plan for it with extra bags and a quick trip to the dumpster at the end of the event.

Outdoor bins matter too. A dumpster or rolling cart with a broken lid draws flies, critters and smells right up to your back door. If yours is cracked or overflowing on a regular basis, it's worth a call to your landlord or waste hauler about a better setup or an extra pickup.

A system that runs itself

The right cans in the right places, lids in the kitchen, clear recycling labels and regular emptying. That's all it takes to keep trash from becoming a problem. To have it handled along with the rest of your office, see our office cleaning services.