The carbon footprint we leave behind is something that wasn’t even considered just a couple of decades ago. Things such as minimizing your impact on the environment, climate change, and seeking out greener solutions just weren’t a priority for most. Fast forward to today and a shift has taken place where everyday people, businesses and government are getting on the same page and realizing that all eco-conscious efforts, no matter how big or small, can have a positive impact on the future.
If you’re a business owner who wants to be doing more for the environment and wants to find some ways to minimize waste in the office, there are plenty of tips you can adopt. Here are five tips that you could put into action immediately.
Composting Should Be Prioritized
It’s amazing what a difference a company can make simply by embracing a compost program. If you operate a particularly large office, it will have an even bigger impact. Compost refers to organic waste which can naturally decompose and then be used to create nutrient-rich soil fertilizer. If your office has the goal of becoming a zero-waste business sometime in the future, composting is essential.
So, what can be composted at the office? Here are just a few of the items:
- Napkins
- Paper towels
- Facial tissue
- Leftover food
- Cardboard sleeves from beverage or hot food containers
- Coffee grinds
- Tea bags
- Cutlery and plates that are labeled compostable
Encouraging employees to compost reduces waste and promotes environmental responsibility. Cooler bags from sites like cooler-bag.com.au are useful for storing and transporting compostable materials, especially food scraps. They keep them at the right temperature to prevent odors and aid decomposition.
Stop Buying New and Consider an Upcycling Program
Another thing that typically happens in office buildings is that departments don’t speak to one another when they need new office-related equipment; they just go ahead and order it. Imagine if you could set aside a small storage room where employees can take staplers, phones, filing equipment, envelopes, and even furniture they no longer need. Now, when an employee needs something new, they can first check the storage room. This is called upcycling and has green benefits and cost-saving benefits.
Use Signs for Reminders and Directions
Because employees may take some time getting used to the new approach in the office of minimizing waste, it can also be helpful to use signs. You could use long-lasting Coroplast signs that remind employees of some key steps to take. They can also be used to identify where each material should be disposed of in terms of recycling efforts.
Transition to a Paperless Office
It is incredible how much paper the average office goes through, not to mention the file folders needed to store all those documents. This presents another area to minimize waste, which even has a cost-savings advantage.
Going paperless means you no longer have the expense of stocking up on paper, but you also don’t need the extra space to store all the files. A paperless office also won’t need a printer and scanner, which is another cost-savings. It’s the kind of green initiative that is multi-pronged, offering many benefits.
Ensure the Efforts Stay on Track with a Green Team
Finally, to ensure that all efforts to minimize waste stay on track and that there is a constant influx of new ideas and solutions, you can create a “Green Team”. This team can be made up of employees who have an interest and passion for environmentally friendly efforts, and who are happy to help out.
The team can set goals, milestones, green campaigns, a timeline and so forth. This gives them something solid to work towards and track. Just be sure to pick employees that represent a cross-section of the business so that each one will have something different to bring to the team.
These are just a few of the tips you can use to minimize waste in the office and pursue a greener path. You need to start somewhere, and these tips can be a path to success.
