7 Simple and Easy Ways to Achieve a Green Office

Climate change is a real threat that’s increasingly becoming more serious by the day. It is primarily a result of human activities that include deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, land-use change, among others. To combat this threat, individuals and corporations are encouraged to rely on environment-friendly practices that help slow down climate change.

If you reduce or prevent waste and recycle materials, there is less need to extract new resources. Less energy is consumed for the manufacture and transport of products, fewer resources are used, and less greenhouse gas emissions are generated in the process.

Eliminating or even merely reducing waste to a minimum can have a significant impact. All it takes is waste management through recycling, something that can be achieved easily and efficiently with the right partner. Recycling also means less waste sent to landfills, which translates to less methane, a greenhouse gas produced when organic materials decompose.

Outside of these methods, there are even simpler measures that allow a business to be waste-conscious, such as discouraging or eliminating the use of single-use plastic bags, which, incidentally, the United Nations Environment Programme has tagged as one of the items that are choking the world.

Here are seven other ways to make your company green:

1. Encourage employees to avoid using disposable plastic products, from spoons, forks, and plates to drinking cups. Vending machines should also be stocked with beverages in cans, not in plastic bottles.
2. Go for water-based cleaning materials instead of those with heavy chemicals. Chemicals end up contaminating groundwater once they are flushed down the drain.
3. Tell your suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging for the products they deliver to your office. They can use just enough to protect products during transit. Unless you have a use for cardboard boxes, plastic film, and bubble wrap, the excess may just end up in the bin. See if you can recycle this or work with your waste disposal company for recycling options. Better yet, start incorporating reusable transport packaginginto your operations to save on resources.
4. As much as possible, go digital and paper-free. Send out memos to employees in the form of emails instead of printing out hard copies. There are document management software tools in the market that you can use. If you really must use paper, then buy recycled paper instead.
5. Promote biking to work or taking the bus instead of relying solely on gas-guzzling, smoke-emitting vehicles as the primary mode of transport. Think of simple but interesting incentives for those workers who will comply.
6. When you need to buy electric office equipment and appliances, choose products with an Energy Star rating. With an Energy Star label, you can be assured that the product has passed energy efficiency standards set by the EU. These products require less energy and are therefore aligned with your energy-reduction efforts.
7. LED bulbs require lower energy levels, and installing them in your office also means less electricity consumption. They are more efficient too and tend to last longer than traditional light bulbs.

As it stands, battling climate change is an uphill climb. However, if everyone contributes to eliminating the factors that are causing this global issue, such as the reduction of waste in homes and businesses, then we have a fighting chance to overcome this threat.

If you’re looking for a waste management partner, contact LKM Recycling today.