Office Waste
Firstly, consider Conducting an Audit to get your facts straight.
Then:Reduce:
- Purchase items with the minimum quantity of packaging.
- Bulk order stationery and other office supplies.
- Memos/newsletters/documents can be sent electronically. Post one copy in a central location, to eliminate the need for unnecessary duplication.
- Reduce unwanted mail by removing your business name from direct mail lists. Keep your own mailing lists current.
- Make double sided photocopies.
- Avoid using cover sheets when sending faxes or send faxes electronically.
- Use light weight paper. Coloured, glossy and special thickness papers are difficult to recycle.
- Work with the cafeteria staff and food vendors to reduce packaging and food waste and avoid disposable cutlery where possible.
- Use office plants that require minimal maintenance and that produce minimal waste (slow growing plants).
- Encourage the use of non-toxic cleaning products and use vegetable-based inks when printing.
Reuse:
- Used office paper that has only been printed on one side can serve as scrap paper and for printing internal memos.
- Reuse toner and ink cartridges: toner and fax cartridges can be remanufactured and inkjet cartridges refilled. Even if you do not choose to reuse cartridges yourself, do not take a viable product out of the workstream. They can be successfully remanufactured many times over and returned to use in their original form before the need to recycle arises.
- Reuse envelopes by placing a label over the old address, or by using them to circulate internal documents.
- Shred paper to use for packaging material.
- Stock reusable cutlery and crockery for staff to use or encourage them to keep their own at their desks. Offer discounts on purchases to staff who bring their own cutlery and crockery to the office canteen/ cafeteria.
Recycle:
- Set up an office recycling program, providing separate containers for recyclables in every office and clearly labelled recycling bins at various locations around the building and surrounds, to collect the various recyclables.
- Utilise free waste collection services provided by cartridge remanufacturers for spent office consumables - which includes photocopier toner bottles as well as fax, printer and inkjet cartridges. When they are no longer able to be reused, some cartridge remanufacturers can disassemble cartridges into their component parts so the metals and plastics collected can be recycled, e.g. plastic from toner cartridges can be made into new plastic products like garden benches. This ensures proper disposal and minimum landfill for this waste.
- Purchase products or materials with recycled content and where possible, choose suppliers who use recyclable packaging. Work with your recycling contractor to reduce contamination and ensure that your materials do get recycled.
- Set up a composting facility or make worm bins available for indoor composting.
Make your aims as public as possible. Inform staff about your intentions and why. Offer further incentives to staff to show your appreciation for their efforts. But remember, "waste reduction is everybody's responsibility".
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