It’s a testament to the efficiency of both the city’s waste management and commercial rubbish removal services that Perth is as clean as it is. However, it’s often a case of “out of sight, out of mind”.
Offices, in particular, tend to produce much more rubbish than the number of people working in them might suggest. Industrial and commercial rubbish removal services often struggle to cope with the sheer amount of rubbish that these places produce.
If you want your workplace to be part of the solution, take a look at these nine proven ways offices around the world have reduced waste.
1.) Provide filtered drinking water at the office
This can be an important step not just for reducing the amount of rubbish your workplace produces, it can help your employees stay healthy as well. Employees at workplaces that do not provide convenient sources of clean drinking water are more likely to purchase prepackaged beverages outside, with a lot of the packaging bound to end up in your rubbish bins.
By providing filtered drinking water, you’re essentially reducing the amount of trash your business has to deal with (provided you also do #6), but you are also investing in your employees’ health as well.
2.) Avoid printing when possible
While a truly paperless ideal may never be possible, using collaborative online tools such as Google Docs and Google Sheets can go a long way to eliminating the need for most of the more ephemeral printed documents.
3.) Print on both sides
If you do have to print documents, you can easily cut your paper consumption in half simply by printing on both sides when you’re making copies. Encourage your employees to do the same by leading through example the next time you send out a memo. Or better yet, make that memo an email.
4.) Provide real plates and utensils
Disposable plates and cutlery can often compose a huge proportion of the rubbish generated by your office. This type of rubbish is also bulky, which makes it inconvenient to dispose of. Providing non-disposable plates and cutlery for employees will not only help reduce the amount of rubbish your office produces, but it will also help employees know you are serious about keeping the business as green as possible.
5.) Invest in greener coffee machines
Avoid using single-cup disposable devices that employ K-cups or similar technologies. Instead, invest in machines that grind and brew whole coffee beans. This is not only cheaper per cup, but also greatly reduces the amount of rubbish made by your coffee machines.
6.) Give employees mugs or reusable water bottles
Single-use drinking cups are usually the single most common type of rubbish in every office that employs them. While undoubtedly convenient, these cups aren’t just environmentally unsustainable, they are also quite bulky in rubbish bins.
Giving employees coffee mugs and reusable drinking bottles can be a way to greatly reduce the volume of rubbish that comes out of your office while simultaneously delighting your employees.
7.) Segregate rubbish at the source
Reduce the effort it takes to sort out the rubbish by having separate containers for each type of rubbish you need segregated. While this does not technically reduce the amount of rubbish you produce, it can dramatically increase the proportion of the rubbish that could be easily recycled. A professional waste management company that hires out skip bins Perth south of the river or north of the river can help you better manage your rubbish right at source.
8.) Buy supplies in bulk, rather than individually packed
Buy paper towels, coffee beans, sugar, office supplies, and other essentials in bulk rather than individual packs. Not only does buying in bulk tend to be cheaper, but individual packaging isn’t necessary most of the time and can contribute to an increase in the amount of rubbish your office has to throw out.
9.) Reuse binders, folders, and similar office supplies
These items are quite durable, and there’s no reason most of them cannot be reused. Often, folders can be turned inside out to give them a second life. You can also use erasable markers or stickers to label new folders so that they can be reused until they wear out.
Conclusion
Most offices today produce an astounding amount of rubbish, thanks in large part to the prevalence of disposables. While disposables are certainly convenient, especially in an office setting where everyone would rather focus on work or other matters seemingly more pressing than the type of fork or drinking container one uses, the valuing of this convenience over everything else certainly creates a significant impact on both the environment and the ability of waste disposal professionals to deal with the issue.
If you have issues with the disposing workplace rubbish, Kwik Skips, Perth’s top commercial rubbish removal service, is ready to help.