The original article can be viewed at Earth 911
10 Tips for Staying Waste Free at Work by Mary Mazzoni 8/13/2012
1. Bring Your Lunch
Bringing your own lunch and snacks to the office in reusable containers not only reduces packaging waste, but can also put thousands of dollars back into your pocket annually.
A survey of 1,000 workers conducted by finance recruiting firm Accounting Principals revealed that the average American worker spends $37 per week on bought lunch, adding up to $2,000 a year and $1000 per year on coffee (there’s that pay increase you’ve been looking for).
Bring your morning cup to work in a reusable mug, and utilize office coffee machines to save on cash and reduce hard-to-recycle coffee cup waste.
2. Make Supplies Last
The ink in your pens, highlighters and markers tends to dry up faster if they aren’t being used regularly. So, try using your writing implements one-at-a-time to ensure they won’t end up forgotten in the back of your desk.
And try to keep your pen tips clean. Inks naturally coagulate at the tip of your pen, making them trickier to write with over time. To avoid plastic waste (and frustration), wipe the tip of your pen with a cloth after each use, and store pens with tips pointing upward to prevent clogging.
Also, keep all pens, markers and glue sticks in a cool, dry place. Heat and exposure to direct sunlight can cause inks and glues to dry up and harden.
3. Precycle Your Supplies
Opt for 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.
Not sure where to start? Try using paper clips instead of staples for easy reuse, and opt for crumpled newspaper instead of bubble wrap to protect items during shipping. At your desk, invest in a reusable tape dispenser to halt plastic dispenser waste, and reuse items like folders and media boxes for as long as possible before throwing them out.
4. Green Your Commute
The average American family’s weekday commute produces around 7,000 pounds of carbon emissions every year, according to a study conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The good news is that reducing your driving, even slightly, can carry huge environmental benefits. Driving a mere 10 percent less, by walking, cycling, carpooling, or taking public transit, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 440 to 1,763 pounds per year depending on the vehicle, according to the nonprofit ecology group Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley.
If your office is on the other side of town, try carpooling. Carpooling with two other passengers creates a mere 0.05 pounds of carbon emissions per person, per mile – even in an average car getting about 23 miles-per-gallon, according to Sightline Institute. A “vanpool,” with six occupants in total, comes in at less than 0.04 pounds of CO2 per mile, the research group found.
5. Use Less Paper
The average office worker in the U.S. uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year. That’s 4 million tons of copy paper annually.
Avoid using paper by emailing important documents to coworkers and clients, and using presentations rather than handouts at weekly staff meetings. To further reduce paper consumption, only print documents when you absolutely have to, and try to use both sides of the paper.
For paper you do use, always remember to recycle. The EPA estimates that if an office building of 7,000 workers recycled all of its paper for a year, it would amount to taking 400 cars off the road.
6. Keep Reusables Handy
From impromptu lunch outings and office birthday parties to lunch-break errands and shopping trips, there are loads of opportunities to get stuck with single-use products during your workday.
Keep a disposable-free survival kit, including reusable coffee mugs, water bottles, dishware and shopping bags, at your desk to help you reduce waste before it starts.
7. Reduce Energy Use
Computers, printers and other office necessities can use up loads of energy, racking up enormous bills and expanding the footprint of your workplace.
If you work from home, put all of your electronics on a power strip, and flip the switch off when items are not in use to avoid vampire power. And take a moment to adjust your computer’s settings to optimize battery usage and hibernate after a period of inactivity.
If you work in an office, talk to your supervisors and IT department about adjusting the settings on all of your office computers and installing power strips. Your bosses will likely be receptive when you tell them how much money it could save.
8. Take Paperless Notes
Why take notes on paper when waste-free alternatives abound?
Most word processing software includes an easy highlighter tool to mark important sections of your notes. But if you’re going to take e-notes, you might as well opt for a program that can multi-task. Try an online note-taking program (like Evernote or UberNote) that allows you to bookmark sites of interest, jot down ideas and collaborate with multiple users.
Download free apps like Sticky Notes for your computer or the official Post-It app for your smartphone.
If you’re still craving the pen and paper, invest in a whiteboard or chalkboard for your desk, so you can jot down notes and erase them at your leisure without the waste.
9. Reduce Packaging Waste
Packing and shipping can create loads of office waste, but you can still do your part to keep those trash cans empty. When shipping, try to pack boxes as densely as possible to avoid cardboard waste, and reuse the same boxes when you can.
For boxes that can’t be reused: compost them (or recycle)! If you work in an office building or don’t have a compost pile for your home office waste, many farmers accept compostables for use in fertilizing their crops. Talk to a local composter about starting a partnership with your office and sending all of your boxes there.
When transporting office supplies from one office to another, ditch the cardboard boxes in favor of a reusable solution like Rent-a-Green Box. This “zero-waste pack and move solution” rents out reusable, recycled-content containers for a fraction of the cost (and waste) associated with cardboard moving boxes.
10. Share Your Green Ideas With Coworkers
Sharing eco-minded ideas with coworkers is a great way to make sure your whole office gets in on the waste-reducing action.
Try giving out reusable water bottles, coffee mugs and shopping bags at the office on holidays to encourage fellow employees to reduce waste. Or send out a mass email about useful file-sharing tools provided by your workplace to remind coworkers of alternatives to printing.
When discussing your values with coworkers, remember to frame the conversation as providing information, not dissing their habits. For example, if you notice a coworker tossing a plastic bottle in the trash, politely telling him about a recycling bin in the next room will yield far better results than berating him about his disposal habits. With the right approach, you can get everyone in your office excited about going green.
