Mayor Annise Parker’s terms as mayor have been marked by several green initiatives, covering everything from sustainable food programs to city-wide rental bikes. One particular initiative — the Green Office Challenge — is a friendly, city-run competition that awards commercial property owners Mayoral recognition and media publicity for instating sustainable strategies in their business and office. Scrap metal recycling is a fantastic way to contribute to your business’ green goals for 2014.

Handling your Waste

Tenants and commercial property owners competing in the program are provided with training from the Houston government as to how to cut waste and resource consumption. In addition to cutting water waste/contamination and reducing energy consumption, participants are required to design, implement, and measure the progress of several office waste reduction programs.

The Green Office program encourages business to start an office recycling program that includes recycling bins for printer cartridges, batteries, cell phones, and other electronics. Another requirement of the program is to implement a unique sustainable solution — anything from setting up a station of reusable mugs to composting fits the bill.

Scrap Metal Recycling as Your Creative Green Initiative

Recycling scrap metal is a fantastic, creative solution to an office green initiative, particularly if your business deals with plumbing, construction, fabrication, and demolition work. Selling your metal back to a recycling facility or scrap buyer is not only profitable, but also environment-friendly.

If metal is not recycled, it is generally sent to landfills where it can potentially contaminated stormwater and soil. Metal can be almost fully recycled, meaning its potential for reuse is virtually never ending.

To learn more about how metal recycling can contribute to your Green Office Challenge, call Gulf Coast Scrap Metal at 713-868-4111.