Six Ways to Reduce Waste in the Workplace

In recent years, large corporations are becoming more aware of the dwindling natural resources and are doing their part to conserve energy and reduce the amount of waste they produce. Intel has become the largest purchaser of green power in the United States are the company has greatly reduced the amount of energy used to run the business. Other popular companies like Kohl’s deparment store and Starbucks coffee have followed suit. If you want your company to be part of this environmentally-conscious movement, then follow these six steps to reduce waste in the workplace.

1. Stop Printing So Much

One of the most wasteful things that many companies do is excessive printing of documents. Not only does this waste paper, but it also wastes a lot of energy and ink. If you want to take an instant step to reduce waste in your workplace, then encourage everyone in the office to transmit documents electronically whenever possible. Many people print documents, read over them, and immediately shred of recycle them. This is an unnecessary use of paper. Only print what you actually have to have in paper form.

2. Start Recycling

If your company doesn’t already have a recycling program, then get one started right away. Get some recycling bins to sort your waste into paper, plastic, newspaper and aluminum. Keep the trash and recycling close together so that people don’t use the trash just because it is accessible. Don’t forget the little things like recycling your paper shreds. For things you must throw away, unisan products like the continuous liner trash can help reduce waste.

3. Turn the Lights Off

Far too many companies leave their lights on at night when no one is around. Make sure that the last person who leaves the office at night turns off all the lights. Some offices leave lights on for extra security. If this is a concern, consider automatic lights that turn on and off based on movement in the room. This will help ensure that the lights get turned off when no one is around, but that they are on when someone is.

4. Turn the Computers Off

It is pretty standard for many people to simply leave their computers running even when they leave for the evening. You may think your computer is not using much energy when it is in sleep mode, but in fact it is. You need to completely shut down your computers at the end of the workday. This also helps the computer to cool down and have a break.

5. Use Recycled Materials

Whenever it is possible to do so, you should purchase office products made from recycled materials. This will both reduce your company’s use of natural resources as well as shrink its carbon footprint.

6. Start a Compost Program

Even if you recycle a lot of materials, you will still be throwing a significant amount of material away in your workplace. You can reduce this waste even further by starting a compost program. Anything that is made from organic materials can be put in the bin for composting. This compost can be used for the landscaping on your company grounds, or your can allow employees to take it home to use it in their gardens or donate it to local farming.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to reduce your company’s waste. Make sure to take advantage of these six methods to help you get started. Once you get the ball rolling, you will find that it is not difficult to reduce waste substantially.

About the Author: Kandace Heller is a freelance writer in Orlando, Florida. She loves to research new ideas and share what she has learned with others. Kandace loves writing about health and green habits.