email: recycling@greatforest.com
email: recycling@greatforest.com
* The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.
What type of paper can you recycle?
Why flatten cardboard?
Are you ready? Here are a few tips on what you can do to start your personal and professional journey towards Zero Waste.
You cannot manage what you can’t measure. Tracking your waste lets you know the volume of waste and recycling you are generating, while scheduling a waste audit or assessment will give you a better idea of what you are actually throwing away and recycling during a given period so you can spot inefficiencies. Ask your office sustainability manager to schedule a waste audit or call Great Forest.
Once you know what you are throwing away, you can ask why and begin to work to solve the problem. Determine what you can eliminate, and prioritize waste reduction activities.
For example if your waste audit reveals that disposable coffee cups form a large portion of your office waste, it may be time to encourage everyone to bring in their own reusable mugs.
If you see your office waste and recycling bins overflowing with paper, check to see if they have been printed on both sides. If not, it may be time to program all printers to do double-sided printing.
Start working first towards your own personal zero waste goals. To succeed we have to carry this zero waste mindset and behavior from home to work and back again. Set goals that you can achieve, then expand that success from your personal to the professional sphere.
The most successful programs are the ones in which everyone is committed. Sustainability is a team effort.
Get everyone excited. Show your colleagues, clients and friends that your efforts are working. Spread the news and watch others follow your lead.
Source: 5 Simple Steps to Creating a Zero-Waste Office, Entrepreneur magazine