ORANGE : Tape to Show Firms Recycling Procedure

Nanci Gee, recycling coordinator for the city, stands amid a mountain of paper to demonstrate how much recyclable waste is generated by businesses. The image provides the opening shot for “Office Paper Recycling,” a city-produced videotape that shows companies how to set up or expand in-house recycling programs.

The eight-minute videotape, which is undergoing final work, will be available free to local businesses beginning sometime next month, Gee said. Interested companies can order the tape or request a newly released brochure on office recycling that offers similar information.

The city of Orange recycling office produced the tape to encourage local businesses to help the city comply with a state law that requires a 25% reduction in landfill waste by 1995, Gee said. By following a trash truck on its journey from an office complex to the dump, the tape illustrates that much of the waste generated by business is actually paper that could be sold for recycling.

“What we are encouraging all businesses to do is to reduce their own trash as much as possible,” Gee said. “Even small businesses that don’t produce a lot can combine their trash with other nearby businesses to arrange a (recycling) pickup.” The program includes tips ranging from how to develop a collection system to how to recycle bound reports. The video also demonstrates how to encourage employee participation and can be used as a training program, Gee said.

Using the city’s own in-house recycling program as an example, the tape shows businesses how to divert waste from the landfills by recycling colored, white and computer paper.

Once employees get into the habit of recycling office paper, they will begin to recycle newspaper, bottles, cans and other items, Gee suggested.

Last August, city employees were given desktop recycling bins as part of a department-wide program. Within five months, the city recycled 1 1/2 tons of paper. The program pays for itself, earning about $120 per month from sale of the used paper, Gee said.

“Nationally, about 8.2 million tons of trash per year is paper that can be recycled,” Gee said. “The tape talks about pulling that paper out of the waste stream because it’s reusable and a good resource.”

For details on how to obtain a videotape or other information on curbside or office recycling, call (714) 744-5550.