Cue a bunch of bullshit about this will result in a Business-Killing Socialist Hellscape.

It's annoyed me over the years that my workplace refuses to recycle anything other than paper and cardboard. Basically, if I don't want to be an asshole, I have to carry any plastic or metal containers home with me. It would be nice if I could recycle it at work. A cleaning crew comes into the office every night anyway. Asking them to cart out a few extra recyclables would not be a fate worse than death.

My workplace in downtown Seattle recycles anything that is recyclable and we also do composting: It's really based on the what the property management company a business rents from is willing to do. Most business owners are stuck with what companies like CBRE are willing to put up with.

I am a small business owner. Many small businesses are at the mercy of the building manager, much like apartment buildings. If the building I lease from has arrangements for recycling, I use it. If it doesn't there isn't much I can do besides bring it home with me, which is impractical for a business.

So the city can pressure businesses to do more recycling, but they need to aim some of that pressure at the owners/managers of commercial buildings. Larger businesses can arrange their own waste contracts, or put pressure on their landlords. Small businesses have very little say in the matter.