6 Easy Ideas to Reduce Office Waste

In today’s society, corporate social responsibility is a standard business practice. Often, these efforts include implementing eco-friendly policies into the workplace. Most businesses prioritise reducing their carbon footprint. Not only does this help save the environment, but it also makes businesses appear more favourable to an environmentally aware consumer base. Regardless of the reason for doing so, introducing eco-friendly practices in the workplace is a crucial as ever. For businesses only just introducing such practices, it is best to start small. In fact, there are a number of basic practices that can have a great impact on the environment in the long-run.

Here are 6 easy ways to reduce waste in the office.

1.          Keep a bin within an arm’s reach

There’s no doubt that the easiest way to protect the environment is to recycle, especially in a workplace where paper makes up most of the waste. Be sure to equip your office with an adequate amount of recycling bins. This includes placing small bins under each desk, so that it’s within an arm’s reach, as well as providing a larger, centralised bin in the office.

Having a recycling bin within an arm’s reach of each employee simply makes it more convenient to dispose of waste instantly, without compromising on productivity by wasting work time. It’s likely that office staff will go through piles of paper each day, and makes it easier to dispose of unwanted documents.

2. Print smarter

Recycling is essential, and printing smarter allows your office to produce less waste. Most businesses are aiming to go paperless. This is a reasonable option, considering that most documents can be stored digitally now.

Encourage your staff to print only the most necessary documents. Before doing so, edit each document digitally, to avoid printing unnecessary copies.

For documents that must be printed, be sure to set your printing default to double sided. Some official documents may require specific margins, however where possible, use narrower margins and spacing. Not only does this save paper, but it also save ink costs.

3. Reuse office supplies

‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ is a slogan that has been embedded into the memory of the Australian public for as long as I can remember. It’s simple, but effective.

A great way to reduce office waste is to reuse folders, binders and other office supplies each year. Get into the habit of not throwing away supplies until they are absolutely of no use (in other words, broken).

It’s helpful to keep an organised cupboard of supplies that may be needed in the future, even if they’re not being used at the moment.

Again, this tip reduces both waste and office expenses.

4. Gift employees with reusable coffee cups and water bottles

Although paper is probably the most common waste in an office but it’s not the only type. Think about other ways that your employees produce waste at work, even if it isn’t directly linked to work.

It’s likely that your staff will bring a drink bottle to work or have a cup of coffee each morning. Encourage your staff to use reusable bottles and coffee cups by setting an example yourself. These products make excellent corporate gifts to give to your employees especially at Christmas. Staff can show off these products customised with your company logo.

Encouraging simple eco-friendly practices in the workplace is a sure way to have an influence on your employees, even outside of work. This can cause a small but significant rippling effect, which will have a positive impact on the environment.

5. Use real dishes in the office kitchen

Similarly, you can use real dishes in the office kitchen, either by providing some or encouraging staff to bring some. This tip is especially useful for workplace parties, when you would normally use disposable plates and cutlery.

Since disposable dishes get dirty with food, they’re harder (or sometimes impossible) to recycle. So rather than producing recycled waste, they’re likely to produce an abundance of general waste. Although a basic tip, it is sure to increase your businesses environmental awareness.

At Nationwide Waste Solutions, we provide recycling and general waste services, including office recycling bins and office rubbish removal. To enquire, call us on 1300 729 922 or contact us here.