Although we never do it on purpose, we create waste everywhere we go. We’re more aware of it while we’re at home because we have to take care of that space on our own. But what about when we’re at work? Whether it’s laziness or just a lack of knowledge about the damage we’re making, I don’t know, but we often make more waste at our workspace. There are some steps you can take to reduce the waste you make at the office without it interfering with your workday.
- If you’re an avid coffee drinker, buy yourself a real coffee maker!
An office job almost always means coffee – and a lot of it! Most offices are equipped with a single typical capsule coffee machine everybody uses. These capsules are highly polluting because they’re made of aluminum and plastic. On their own, these materials are reusable, but when combined can’t be recycled at all. These capsules go directly into a landfill and take thousands of years to degrade. That’s why you should invest in a real Italian espresso machine. It’ll last a lifetime and the coffee you make will be of superior quality to any plastic office coffee machine.
There are probably some recycling measures already implemented in your office. But the fact is, you’ll probably just throw everything in the bin next to your desk. If you can’t take a short walk every now and then to throw things into their designated recycling bins, bring them to your table. They don’t have to be industrial recycling bins, just your regular metal ones. You can then separate your thrash right there at your desk and throw them away later. You can also reduce the amount of paper waste by using both sides of a paper, and using old paper and post-its to write additional notes on it.
- Have some plants around
Well, plants don’t actually reduce the amount of garbage you make, but they do a great job of cleaning the air. Not only will it make any space look more calming and welcoming, it can help you feel closer to nature. Office air can get stale pretty quickly, and plants act as natural air-fresheners.
- Save energy!
Replace all of the light bulbs at your workspace with energy-saving LED bulbs. Always turn off any light you don’t need or use to avoid using up unnecessary energy. Unplug your computer, printers, phones and other hardware when you finish work. You won’t need them and they suck up electricity even when they’re turned off. At the end of the work week, try unplugging all of the machines and appliances in your office to see how it’ll affect your electricity bills. In addition to saving energy and money, it’ll save you from losing any data if there’s a power outage or a system overload in your absence/
- Make your office supplies more sustainable
Pencils, pens, scissors, staples, tape, and other office supplies are the things that get hoarded the most. They rarely get completely used up before you discard them, and they make the majority of all office trash. They can also often be an unnecessary strain to the office budget. That’s why you should create a designated place for all extra office supplies in your office. Use a cupboard or other storage elements that are near the common spaces in your office. Everybody can then clean up their desks and put everything they don’t need in this designated space. That way, everybody can take what they need from these instead of always reaching out to the storage closet. You can even reuse some things that are just lying around the office, like cans and bins to use them to store pens and staples. You can even start buying all your supplies from manufacturers that only use recycled materials. They look better and are more sustainable, just take a look here.
As you can see, keeping your office eco-friendly isn’t as hard as it might seem. Both you and your coworkers should take care of the place you spend a quarter of your day in. Neither one of these steps is a nuisance, and it will really be worth the effort.
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