How To Reduce Waste In The Workplace

Happy Earth Day everyone! What steps are you taking to reduce, reuse and recycle at your workplace? Although practicing methods of eliminating waste and protecting our environment should be year-round activities, today is a reminder that we can all do a little more to save the Earth.

At our places of business, protecting the environment is a team effort. But, as a business owner, it starts with you. Implementing specific rules and regulations as it relates to reducing waste and reusing resources is an important step in demonstrating your support for environmental protection.

So how can you reduce waste in the workplace?

Make sure there are as many recycling bins as there are garbage cans.

Is it difficult to locate those blue boxes with the three arrows at your place of work? If so, it’s time to grab a few more and place them throughout the office. In 2019, no place of business should make it difficult for its workers to properly discard their recyclables. According to the ISCG website, the company places small recycle bins beside every trash can to ensure that they are visible.

“People recycle when it’s convenient,” insists the site, “Make it easy for employees to recycle by meeting them where they already are (at their desks) with a bin.”

Choose supplies that are easy to reuse or recycle.

Stop purchasing products for the office that can’t be reused or recycled. Take kitchen supplies, for example. Stock your kitchen with real dishware and cutlery so that your staff members don’t fill your garbage cans with paper plates and plastic forks and knives every day. On Earth911.com, Mary Mazzoni refers to this practice as “precycling”.

“‘Precycling’ refers to the simple act of reducing non-recyclable waste before it starts,” she explains, “The term typically applies to choosing products packaged in materials that are easily recyclable, but it can also apply to your office supplies. Choose supplies that are easy to reuse or recycle to stop waste in its tracks. When faced with a decision as to which supplies to use, try asking yourself: Can I recycle or reuse this? A simple change in mindset could mean lighter waste bins all year long.”

Go as paperless as possible.

Is there anything not available online these days? The internet has enabled us to email documents and store them on our computers instead of having to print every last little piece of paperwork. ISCG points out that programs such as Google Docs allow you to write, edit and collaborate for free online. As well, Dropbox is a free service that lets you sync and share files. The ISCG website also encourages businesses to print smarter.

“Sometimes printing is necessary,” they admit, “Save up to 50 percent on paper costs by having employees set their defaults to print double-sided, and ask employees to use the ‘Print Selection’ function, which encourages them to only print what they need and reduces wasted sheets of paper.”

On behalf of everyone at Canadian POS, we’d like to wish you a Happy Earth Day and encourage you to do your part in reducing waste in the workplace. And, as always, for any questions about our products and services, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.