• Home /
  • Blog List /
  • How to Set Up Workplace Recycling Stations | Hygiene Direct NZ

How to Set Up Workplace Recycling Stations | Hygiene Direct NZ

Date: 22-10-2026
Blogs Environmental Sustainability

 

A recycling station works when it is where the waste is made, easy to understand and quick to use. Get those three things right and most of the rest looks after itself. This guide walks through how to plan a station, from the first walk around your site to the first check once it is running.

Start with a walk around

Before you buy anything, look at where waste builds up and what it is made of. Note the kitchens and break rooms, the printers, the entrances and corridors, any loading or receiving area, and the places visitors pass through. Then ask your waste contractor which materials they accept and how bins and bags must be presented, because that decides your streams. Our pillar guide to commercial recycling bins explains how to choose them.

Decide where stations go

  • Put them where waste is made: next to the kettle, the printer, the lunch table and the front door.
  • Choose a few good stations over many scattered bins: many workplaces find that a small number of well-labelled stations works better than a bin at every desk, because people stop and think when they reach one.
  • Keep them accessible: clear of doors and walkways, and within easy reach.
  • Be consistent: use the same layout in every area, so staff learn it once.

Pair recycling with rubbish

Place a rubbish bin beside every recycling bin. If people cannot find a rubbish bin, they will put rubbish in the recycling. Where food is eaten, add a food scraps bin if your contractor collects one. Keep the bins in the same order at every station.

Choose the right bins

The details that matter day to day are the size of the bin, whether it is designed for indoor or outdoor use, how the liner is held and how easy the label is to read.

The Sabco EnviroPlastic Deluxe recycling station is a good example of a bin designed for indoor stations. It is a 40L bin, about 38 x 24.5 x 60.5cm, with an always-up lid so the label stays visible and a bag retention rim that keeps the liner secure and out of sight. It is a modular range sold one bin at a time, so you can build the mix of streams you need. See our full range of recycling bins, and our guide to choosing sizes and liners.

In kitchens and washrooms, a pedal bin lets people open the lid without touching it.

Get the signage right

Signs do most of the work of keeping the wrong things out of recycling.

  • Use words and pictures together, and show real examples of what goes in.
  • Put the sign at eye level, right where the bin is.
  • Where the lid colour does not match the agreed NZ colour, add a sign in the correct colour. The guidance on standard bin colours recommends this.
  • Consider bilingual signs. WasteMINZ provides recycling symbols in te reo Māori and English.
  • List the common items that do not belong in each bin.

Our guide to recycling bin colours in NZ explains how the colours work, and what goes in each bin gives you the content for your signs. Browse our signs and accessories for more.

Match the liners

Check the liner fits the bin before you order, and keep spares close to the stations so bags are changed straight away. For the Sabco Deluxe 40L stations, our pick is the HD Best Purple Recycled 60L bag. Best Purple bags are made in Palmerston North from 100% recycled plastic, so using them in every bin at the station, rubbish included, takes your recycling all the way and shows staff and visitors that you recycle. See the full Best Purple range, plus small liners, large liners and black rubbish bags. Ask your contractor whether recycling should go in bags or loose.

Roll it out

  1. Tell staff what is changing and why, and show them where the stations are.
  2. Add the rules to your induction for new starters.
  3. Check inside the bins after a week or two, and fix any problems with signs or placement.
  4. Agree who empties each bin and when, and wipe the bins down from time to time.

Station checklist

  • Contractor's accepted materials confirmed
  • Streams chosen
  • Stations in the right places
  • Rubbish and recycling side by side
  • Liners fitted and spares stored nearby
  • Clear signs at eye level
  • Staff told, and a first check booked

Open a trade account with Hygiene Direct for bulk pricing on bins, liners and signage.

Related articles