Employee Training for Waste Reduction Programs: 2013 "State of the Plant" Infographic

Text-only version:
If you would like this same information in an easy to read infographic: http://www.wastemin.com/discuss/ind...grams-2013-state-of-the-plant-infographic.14/

Employee Training for Waste Reduction Programs: 2013 State of the Plant Reports
Employee training is always a bit of a double-edged sword: it's an essential part of any safety or compliance program, but training is also a tough, time-consuming job that requires a lot of thought and innovation to make it fun for participants.

To help you understand how plants see the role of training in waste minimization programs, we took a look at some of the goals, roles and successes that plants are having with training programs. The Waste Minimization Forum (wastemin.com) conducted research with 304 leading plants across the US and found the following:

Training isn't easy... but it is the most important thing you can do to assure the success of your waste minimization program.
In today's lesson: a look at challenges and opportunities for waste reduction programs, and why using teaching methods designed for children fails for training adults.

Why waste training is hard

• • Goes against the "easy option": "Sometimes, it's easier to just put it in the landfill."
  • Takes a lot of time: "Trying to get everyone to understand the issues, standards, and limitations takes a lot of time."
  • Lack of motivation: "Tough to get everyone to do what they need to do."
  • Tough to break old habits: "Getting people to just take the time to stop and think, 'Hey, that can be recycled.'"
  • Some people just don't care: "Some people either are not aware, don't think they can make a difference, or just don't care."

Top reasons why waste reduction and management programs FAIL:

41%: Lack of employee training
26%: Inadequate resources
24%: Reg complications
10%: Changing regulations​

Why waste training is important

We asked successful programs: What is the most effective Best Management Practice you have implemented to reduce and manage waste in your facility?
56%: Employee training
12% Providing containment in storage areas
10%: Labeling containers to segregate waste
​

Ways to make waste reduction training better:

Idea #1: Avoid "jug and mugs" training at all costs. The term "jug and mugs" has nothing to do with the amount of coffee participants will need to bring to training... it is a term used in education to describe when a "big jug" (the teacher) is responsible to fill all of the empty "little mugs" (the kids).

The teaching style that relies on the teacher "knowing it all" and telling it to students might work for young kids... but fails miserably for adults because it ignores the experiences, perspectives, opinions and knowledge of the trainees.

Tip: If you're the only one talking, chances are you're creating an ineffective "jug and mugs" training.

Idea #2: Remember how people learn.
The amount of info retained after three days (Pike, 1989):

• 10% of what we read
• 20% of what we hear
• 30% of what we see
• 50% of what we see AND hear
• 70% of what we say
• 90% of what we "discuss as we do" (hands-on activity with discussion)

Tip: If you "train by talking" you're going to end up spending 4.5X more time to get the same impact of training hands-on and with discussion. That's why you should care about the difference between 20% and 90% retention.


​