This past fall I finally convinced my company to go organic in our landscape and turf maintenance. It took about a year to get them to approve this project. The company is in an industrial park in S. Dallas. There are seven facilities on approximatly 2 city blocks. We have just over 4 acres of turf and landscape to maintain. I have one full time employee to perform this maintenance. During the winter months he helps the janitorial staff Dring the growing seasons, he works most Saturdays to keep up with the yard.
The main points of my project proposal were not reductions in landscaping costs, but how an organic program would benefit the company in other ways.
1. The chemical program was just not working. We had planted several dozen trees 3/4 years ago and 16 of them are on poor shape. The turf did not look healthy and our soil is very compacted. We also had a bad fire ant problem. I found all the information I could (much of it from this site) on exactly how an organic program would improve all these areas.
2. The City of Dallas has one of the strictest Storm Water Runoff control programs in the country. Yes, they have been in the news for problems in that department, but they are still very aggressive in enforcement. An organic program will minimize storm water runoff issues as we are adding no chemicals to the enviornment with organic products. Also, when the city knows you have committed to an organic program, they are more apt to help you resolve any potiential issues you may have but do not know about.
3. The company manufactures parts for the automotive industry. The automotove industry is begining to require vendors to certify that they are taking steps to improve the enviornment, reduce waste, and reduce energy usage. An organic program would be one part of acheiving that certification. I do not know what business your company is in, but, I assume you sell product. The fact that you are a "green" company could go far with your customer base. When you do go organic, it would be easy to get the local newspaper to do an article on your company. Free advertizing
4. The only area I pushed as a potential cost reduction, was water useage. I pointed out that during the hottest part of the summer, we would only have to water our 4+ acres once a week instead of every other day as we had been doing.
I did not push the cost savings potential of an organic program because I knew the initial cost would be higher. I did not want anyone to get "sticker shock" when I ordered 4000 lbs of CGM
You mentioned recycling in your post. If you are in Texas, and you company generates Haz Waste, you are required to have a documented Waste Reduction Program. Recycling is one part of a Waste Reduction Program.
When selling the organic program, I did not promise instant improvement. I made it clear that it would be two years or so before all the benefits of the program would be obvious.
I hope this helps.