Creative Employee Benefits: 5 Reasons to Offer E-Recycling Drives as a Company Perk

In a recent Employment Confidence Survey, Glassdoor found that 4 out of 5 employees preferred benefits or perks more than a pay raise. These included traditional benefits such as healthcare insurance and paid vacation, but significant numbers of employees also listed office perks such as casual dress, gym memberships, and other creative benefits.

Companies such as Google, Twitter, and Apple have received attention for extravagant benefits like catered lunches, massages, yoga classes, and “beer bashes,” but you don’t have to go to such great lengths to give back to your employees—you can find more cost-efficient or cost-neutral ways to show them you care.

One such option is an e-recycling or scrap metal drive, which can benefit employees and employers alike. Below are some reasons to consider adding an e-recycling drive to your list of creative benefits for employees.

1. It Helps Keep Your Employees’ Data Safe

One growing concern for businesses in our ever-developing digital world is data security. Cybercriminals attack large corporations and small businesses alike, and mobile devices pose increasing security risks since employees often have access to company data on their personal devices.

Hosting an e-recycling drive can help mitigate threats to your employees’ data, which may include company emails and other company data. At the same time, you’ll be able to get rid of your business’ old computer equipment, hard drives, mobile devices, and other electronics that may contain company information. And, if you are partnered with an experienced e-recycler who meets National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) standards, you can be certain that your data is protected.

Even if employees aren’t necessarily concerned about company data, they might not know where to dispose of their devices or may be holding onto their old devices because they’re concerned about the safety of their personal data and information. By hosting an e-recycling drive, you’re not only protecting your company data, but providing an essential service to your employees, as well.

2. It Helps You Meet Sustainability Goals (and Helps Your Employees Give Back to the Environment) 

E-recycling drives can not only help you safely dispose of outdated and unused equipment but can also help you meet your sustainability goals. Hosting recycling drives is a good way to celebrate Earth Day or show your commitment to environmental responsibility. Employees want to work for companies that support good causes, so showing that commitment to sustainability is always a win.

With the right recycling partner, you can help ensure that electronics and metals are disposed of properly. Not only are there legal restrictions on businesses for which items can be thrown away, there is also a very real problem of e-waste ending up overseas and being disposed of in substandard, illegal ways. Horror stories also abound of groups holding recycling drives, collecting valuable items, and dumping useless items elsewhere.

If you choose to host a drive, you’ll want to make sure your e-recycling partner works with the DNR and under EPA guidelines, using best practices and recycling in a safe environment. You should seek out a local recycler that never ships e-waste overseas and that believes in sustainability on a national and global scale.

3. It Can Increase Awareness of Your Brand

Beyond the above benefits, if you choose to publicize your e-recycling drive, you position yourself as a good steward in the community. With more and more attention to environmental dangers, customers are increasingly patronizing businesses that make eco-friendly efforts, whether that means offering environmentally-friendly products or protecting the environment in other ways. And, the larger community likely has similar concerns about where to recycle their devices and whether information is safe, so you can open up your drive to the general public. In some cases, it can even be cheaper to take electronics or scrap metal to a recycling drive than straight to a recycler. That means you can provide a service the community needs while increasing your chance of profiting from the drive.

4. It’s an Easy Process

With the right e-recycling partner, hosting e-recycling drives can be fairly simple. Sadoff E-Recycling & Data destruction provides support throughout the process for the logistics of the event, such as supplying receptacles and semi-trailers for collecting the items. Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction can also train volunteers on collecting, sorting, and moving the materials. You are only responsible for hosting, publicizing, and providing volunteers for the drive.

5. It’s Cost-Effective, and You Can Even Generate a Profit

While e-recycling drives aren’t free, there can be financial benefits to hosting them. Some e-recycling partners, such as Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction, will pay for certain items collected that include valuable materials, which can offset the cost of recycling other items such as televisions or items with large amounts of plastic (such as keyboards). Sadoff E-Recycling & Destruction can collect a wide variety of electronics—almost anything with a cord—and recycle it safely, following DNR and EPA standards. Collecting scrap metal at recycling drives can also be an option, which also has the potential to generate profits.

In fact, one company that worked with Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction netted around $900 with their e-recycling drive. A local high school also profited from hosting an e-recycling drive, raising $1000.

If you’re interested in how to identify items of value that you could collect, Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction can provide expertise on how to maximize your return on investment.

How to Get Started

These are just a few of the benefits e-recycling can have for you, your employees, the community, and the environment. Reach out to Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction to find out more about the process and benefits of hosting an e-recycling drive. Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction is committed to helping you reach your sustainability goals and providing a safe option for recycling e-waste, and we’re happy to help you get started in providing this creative benefit to your employees.

Categorized in: E-Recycle, Sustainability