Waste is a symptom of an inefficient process. Reducing waste increases efficiency. Increasing efficiency increases profits. Theoretically speaking, it is better to prevent the generation of waste than it is to recycle. You can only recycle waste that you have failed to prevent. So, place your emphasis on reducing waste if you can, then recycle the waste that you must generate.

Reducing waste saves you money.

Reducing waste saves you money.

However, there is an old saying, “In theory, practice and theory are the same, in practice, they are not.” You might need to start with the concepts and practices that staff are most familiar with, and are thus more likely to rapidly embrace. Go for the low hanging fruit first. Do what is easy just to get staff started. Even those easy things require commitment to making changes in people’s daily habits, and habits are hard to change. You’ve heard the three R’s before- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- so let’s talk about how these steps can be practiced at your office.

Reduce

  1. Set your photocopiers and printers to print on both sides by default.
  2. Set a reminder on your computer instead of writing them down on sticky notes or note pads. Outlook, CRM software and other programs, as well as most electronic calendars and task lists, can be set to remind you of some event or task with a special message at any time in the future.
  3. Fight junk mail–Take steps to reduce the amount of junk mail that your office receives. Unsolicited mail in the workplace is a profit drain because of the time required to sort through the mail to see what is actually “junk” and what is not.
    1. Remove your business (or individual employees) from unwanted mailing lists.
    2. Remove former employees from mailing lists for your business.
    3. Many distributers are starting to offer subscribers an option to receive mailings electronically. Choose this option whenever possible.

Reuse

  1. Have your staff set aside paper that they use on only one side, so that it can be reused for printing drafts in your printer, or glued together to make scratch pads.
  2. Buy “recycled” toner cartridges, and send your spent toner cartridges to be “recycled”. Commercially, this is referred to as recycling, but it’s actually a form of reuse.
  3. Invest in rechargeable batteries and battery chargers for digital cameras, flashlights, and other small devices. Make sure to educate your staff on the importance of not accidentally throwing away or losing the rechargeable batteries.

Recycle

Recycle glass, plastic, metal cans, white paper, and mixed paper and organics as you do at home. (You do that at home, don’t you?)
How to Start Recycling Paper. To start a recycling program, determine which material you want to recycle, find someone to pick up the material, put recycling bins around your office, and get staff to participate. That is “all” there is to it. Having commitment from your management to encourage staff will help. But it is even more important to have management participate.
Yellow pages directories generally have recycling vendors who will pick up your recyclables. Look under headings such as recycling, reuse, waste disposal, etc. Call around to see who can offer you the best pickup service. Each vendor will have their own requirements and conditions. Schedules and prices can be negotiated. Shop around and compare. Some will provide small bins to place around the office (or you can buy your own bins if you need to).
Some parishes/counties and cities have recycling coordinators who can help you. To find the recycling coordinator in your community, look in the government section of your phone directory. The public works department for your parish/county or city is the most likely place to find the recycling coordinator.
Buy Recycled.
You are not recycling if you send your waste to be recycled, but you do not buy products made from recycled content.

Look for the type and the amount of recycled content in anything that you buy. Postconsumer content is better than postmanufacturer content. If the paper has postconsumer content it will most likely say so. Otherwise, assume the claimed recycled content is postmanufacturer.

Buy Smart

  1. Buy only what you know you will use. This may seem obvious, but keep in mind that there is an environmental cost to buying something and letting it sit on the shelf forever. Many items have a useable shelf life (cleaning solvents, printer ink, etc.). Some paper manufacturers claim that even paper should be used within a couple years to prevent jams in copy machines and printers. The adhesive on envelopes goes bad in time. Bulk purchasing can be an excellent way to reduce costs, and the use of packaging and fossil fuels for transport, but find the balance.
  2. Intersperse regular use of strong cleaners and solvents with less toxic and water based cleaners. Everything from process machinery to toilets need to be cleaned regularly, but you don’t need to use the strongest chemicals known to humankind each and every time. A growing practice is to use the strong stuff about every fourth time, and use milder alternatives in between.

Spread the Word

Publicize your waste prevention efforts. In brochures and advertisements that you print, discretely display a small paragraph somewhere that tactfully boasts of your office waste prevention practices. Many of your clients will be favorably impressed; probably none will find it distasteful. A good example is the best motivator, and you might help persuade other businesses to practice waste prevention.

Have questions or comments? Leave them below and we’ll get right back to you.

Stay efficient, my friends.

Chris White, P.E., LEED AP has been helping clients solve problems for over twenty years. He is The Most Interesting Engineer in the World. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWhitePE.

 

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