We are watching the world deal with climate change that is happening at a rapid rate and we are also seeing the emergence of environmentally sustainable businesses that are looking to do more for their environment.
There are so many opportunities to be able to reduce business waste and if you are running your own business then you need to be on top of these opportunities as much as possible. To be able to create an environmentally friendly change and reduce workplace waste, you need to follow the tips below so that you can make sure that you are on top of everything and keep your business as eco-friendly as possible.
- Get Some Help. If you’re looking to get rid of electronic waste, furniture waste or you’re just simply want to stay on top of what you’re waste management, then taking a look at the experts available at CurbWaste Network can help. Having access to those who are able to assist you with curbside pickup is going to help you to be able to declutter and get rid of the waste in your business. This is especially important if you are choosing to move locations and you need to be able to downsize your furniture and you don’t plan to keep it. When you are getting rid of furniture from your office, obviously the first thing that you do is sell it. But if you need to send it to landfill, the best thing to do is make sure that you have got a waste management company on your side to help.
- Reduce your paper waste. Even though it’s 2024, paper waste is still one of the biggest ways to waste in the workplace. You need to consider how much paper you are currently wasting and look at whether or not you should be looking towards digitally friendly solutions. If you can scan all of your paperwork in and record it on a cloud, then that’s the best thing that you can do for your business. And then continue as you mean to go on. Making sure that you’re aware of how much you’re using is a good place to start, and taking the opportunity to reuse old printed paper as scratch paper or shredding it for use as packing material can help.
- Recycle where you can. You can make one of the biggest changes to your workplace waste by recycling it as much as possible. About 89% of recycled plastic ends up in landfill, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Getting rid of waste baskets under the desks and swapping it for a plastic bin and a paper bin can help, and you can encourage all of your employees to do the same thing. You should make sure that there are spot checks for rubbish and waste throughout the day and this way you can keep on top of the rubbish in your workplace.
- Choose companies with friendly packaging. Whether you’re ordering your lunches for the office or you’re bringing in coffee, make sure that you’re swapping out these plastic containers for usable or recyclable materials. Make sure that you let restaurants know that you don’t need plastic cutlery and make sure that you have paper or metal straws stocked in the office kitchen. Stocking your workplace with these items is also going to encourage other people to do the same thing, and that’s exactly what you want to do to improve your waste management in the workplace.
- Know the alternatives. There are so many options out there for sustainable alternatives to plastic cutlery and dishware. Paper is still a great source of waste and contributes to climate change, but there’s nothing wrong with buying it. Proper cutlery and crockery in the office that people can wash. Compostable items might sound like a perfect solution, but it mostly goes straight to the landfill if you’re not careful. By making sure that you have proper items, as well as a dishwasher or some clothes and some soap, you can keep on top of waste and stop wasting so much packaging.
- Avoid being too convenient. It’s easy for people just to throw things in one bin, so you need to make sure that from the office kitchen to the main office you have two bins, one for recyclables and one for non recyclables. If you put just one bin, everybody’s going to have the out of sight, out of mind mindset and find it convenient just to throw everything in the one bin. Put the only landfill dedicated way somewhere in the office that’s not an arms length away so that people have to physically get up to use it. Make recycling as convenient as possible in your office and you’ll find that people follow suit.