A report indicates that the worldwide production of municipal solid waste amounts to approximately 2.01 billion tons annually, and it is predicted to rise to 3.40 billion tons by the year 2050. Given the growing population and industrialisation, there will be an inevitable increase in waste generation. Hence, waste management is the need of the hour and offices can play a significant role here.
If all the businesses focus on preventing waste, reusing items, making environmentally responsible purchases, and recycling both solid waste and organics, it can help them comply with local, state, and federal environmental regulations, while also reducing costs, increasing profits, and contributing to environmental protection.
Here’s how you can transform your office into a zero-waste workplace.
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Smart Printing
Printing is unavoidable in certain situations. To cut down on paper expenses, instruct employees to set their printer’s default settings to double-sided printing and to use the “Print Selection” feature when possible, which helps reduce the amount of wasted paper. This practice can reduce paper usage by up to 50%. Using refillable ink cartridges rather than disposable ones is another way to minimise waste and save money on office supplies. Instead of colour printing, ask your employees to prefer printing the documents in black and white as it uses a lot less ink.
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Digital Alternatives to Paper
If you haven’t checked out computer-based alternatives to paper in a while, you have a lot of catching up to do. Thanks to tools like Google Docs, which enables free online writing & editing, and Dropbox, a free service that facilitates file syncing and sharing, it is now simpler than ever to decrease paper usage in the workplace.
Switch to digital signatures as these are now legally recognised. Electronic signatures or documents are safer than paper files because they can easily be backed up, eliminating the need for physical documents to be printed, signed, and stored.
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Do Bulk Purchasing
Only coffee beans aren’t meant to be purchased in bulk. Consider purchasing other office essentials like sugar, snacks, and cleaning supplies in bulk to reduce packaging waste and lower the cost per unit. Refrain from buying individually packaged items.
Buying in bulk will also lower the carbon footprint associated with transportation as the number of shipments required to stock your office will reduce.
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Use Real Dishes
Stop spending on styrofoam cups, disposable paper plates and plastic utensils, instead invest in real dishes and silverware for your office kitchen. This will not only eliminate the need to purchase and dispose off single-use items but also will provide a more enjoyable experience.
You can also promote a culture of sustainability and responsibility by encouraging employees to be mindful of their consumption habits. Employees can also be encouraged to clean their own dishes. You can consider purchasing a dishwasher to further simplify the process.
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Gift Reusable Water Bottles To Employees
A reusable water bottle requires less oil for production and eliminates the need for plastic materials, ultimately decreasing your carbon footprint.
Additionally, this helps to alleviate the issue of plastic waste in landfills, oceans, streams, and other locations where plastic waste accumulates.
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Reuse Envelopes
Instead of just throwing away the envelope after taking out what’s inside, store the packets. While it is understandable that you may have concerns about using ‘used’ envelopes, you do not always require this level of formality.
You can consider using labels to cover up the old address. Some companies even offer reuse labels specifically designed for this purpose, which include a message at the bottom indicating that the envelope was reused to promote sustainability.
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Encourage Employees To Bring Lunch
A pre-packaged burger or sandwich is not only harmful to the environment but to health too. Encourage your employees to bring in their lunches instead of purchasing packed food every day. Doing so will significantly decrease the amount of waste generated in your workplace.
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Spread Recycling Awareness
It is equally important to educate your employees about your company’s recycling initiatives and provide guidance on how they can contribute to a zero-waste environment. Emphasise the positive impact that recycling has on your business.
Employees are more likely to feel proud of and engaged with their workplace when they see that their employer is taking steps to protect the environment.
