If you own or manage an office or other business space, you have a responsibility to run it sustainably. It doesn’t matter if you’re the office manager of a financial corporation or the owner of a small SEO agency – we all need to be doing what we can to reduce resource consumption and reduce our environmental impact.
Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to implement “green office” policies that deal with waste and resource consumption. In the rest of this article, I’ve covered a handful of my top tips for reducing office waste. They include:
- Print Less
Printing is a major contributor to office waste. Think about it, how often do you print a document or presentation, only to look through it once and then relegate it to the rubbish bin?
I bet it happens pretty often, right?
Rather than unconsciously printing everything, think about how you can move things online. Of course, there will still be some things that you have to print and file hard copies of, but it’s extremely easy to reduce your printer usage and therefore reduce office paper consumption.
- Make Sure Recycling and Compost Bins Are Available
If you seriously want to reduce your office waste, then you need to be recycling and reusing as much as possible. Make sure recycling bins are available in every room for things like paper waste, and encourage employees to place any food or other organic waste in a compost bin.
- Provide High-Quality Coffee
A major contributor to office waste is disposable coffee cups. If you actually pay attention, you might be surprised by just how many of your employees head out for a cup (or three) of coffee every single day.
By providing high-quality coffee and nice glass mugs in the office, you will reduce the need for these people to go and purchase their coffee in disposable mugs, thereby reducing office waste.
- Eliminate Single-Use Items
The classic example here is cheap ballpoint pens. Sure, not everyone wants to spend a fortune on expensive reusable pens, but it’s actually cheaper in the long run. Rather than buying cheap disposable pens that simply get thrown in the trash when they reach the end of their life, consider going for higher-end models that can be refilled multiple times.
- Provide Fridge Space and a Small Kitchen Area
Like coffee, disposable food packaging is a huge contributor to office waste. If you provide fridge space and a small kitchen for people to store and reheat their lunches, they won’t have to head out for takeaway as often. And, as you can imagine, this will help reduce your office waste – as well as improve your employees’ health and, in many cases, their productivity.
Final Word
Reducing office waste may seem a little difficult at first, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve outlined five popular steps to take, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Do your own research and start thinking about the way you do things. You might be surprised by just how easy it is to make a difference.