There are so many ways that we waste energy every single day. When people think about going green and recycling, they usually don’t think past making changes within their own home. However, most waking hours are spent in the workplace during the week, rather than in their home. So it would make sense to try and go green at your office, as well.
Install hand-dryers in the bathroom
Especially if you own a large company, you and your employees use a lot of paper towels every single day. By getting rid of these and using hand-dryers instead, you’re eliminating a ton of unnecessary waste.
Use low-flow aerators in all of the sinks
It’s easy to replace the aerators you already have in your sinks with low-flow ones. This will use less water, and reduce your daily water waste.
Bring in green plants
Bringing green plants into your office space will absorb any airborne air pollutants(office furniture create quite a lot of these!) and they’ll produce healthy negative ions and oxygen. Adding greenery also makes your office a more inviting space, meaning you’ll have healthier and happier employees.
Buy office products in bulk
Buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging that has to be wasted. It also makes more economical sense in the long run. Buy things like coffee, creamer, bathroom necessities such as toilet paper, and all consumables, in bulk instead of buying them one at a time as they run out.
Throw out your keurig
K cup coffee pods are incredibly wasteful. While they’re convenient, they create a ton of waste, as they can’t be recycled. Get either a single serve coffee maker that doesn’t use pods, or revert back to a regular coffee maker. Although you won’t get your single serve coffee quite as quickly, you’re making a huge impact on the environment with just this simple thing.
Use multi-purpose machines
For example, buy a copy machine that you can also use as your fax machine and scanner. Every single piece of office equipment that you buy produces tons of toxic waste, both in manufacturing and disposal. By only buying machines that you can use for multiple purposes, you’re drastically reducing your footprint.
Use remanufactured ink and toner cartridges
A lot of people just throw out their ink cartridges when they replace them. But they can be recycled! From now on, when it’s time to replace your ink cartridges, recycle them and buy cartridges that have been remanufactured. There’s a lot less waste going into a recycled cartridge, plus they cost about fifteen percent less than a brand new cartridge.
