Introduction Business Recycling Cooperatives A business recycling cooperative is a group of businesses, located in a single geographic area, that separate the same recyclable material for prearranged collection by a shared hauler. Cooperatives can be set up to accommodate single industry sectors, such as retail stores, offices, manufacturers, or restaurants, or different sectors which generate similar materials, such as cardboard, plastics, office paper, bottles or cans. Why Business Recycling Cooperatives? Almost all businesses generate recyclable materials. But because of the small quantity of material they generate, many small businesses have difficulty finding a recycler willing to serve them at a reasonable cost. Business recycling cooperatives help small and medium sized businesses gain access to cost-effective, convenient recycling. While small businesses generate small amounts of materials individually, cumulatively their recyclable generation is both significant and under collected. For example, nationally, offices with 100 or more employees generate about 45% of the total quantity of discarded printing and writing paper (office paper), and about 95% of these offices recycle their paper, while offices with less than 50 employees generate nearly 40% of the supply, but only 30% have on-site recycling programs. Purpose This Guide is designed to provide readers with the information and tools needed to establish business recycling cooperatives. The target audiences are organizations and individuals with resources and expertise to work with haulers and businesses to improve the cost-effectiveness and scope of business recycling efforts. Specific audiences include public recycling and solid waste management officials, community environmental and economic development organizations, and business membership organizations such as Chambers of Commerce. Getting Started This Guide presents a seven step program to start a business recycling cooperative in your community. The sequence and scope of the following tasks may vary from community to community, and it is important to develop a flexible implementation plan that can easily adapt to unforeseen circumstances.