Given how climate change affects us and the world around us, people are starting to go green and make more sustainable choices. Workplaces are considering making these changes as well. And in case you want to stop being wasteful in your workplace, here are a few things you can do.
Use Self-Inking Address Stamps
A self-inking address stamp is the least wasteful of all stamps. These address stamps store the ink within the stamp body. Thus, you do not have to hit the stamp pad every time you use it. That way, the stamp will use only the amount of ink necessary.
These address stamps will also help you save time. Even if only by a few seconds, you can still rest assured that you are getting a job done quicker because of switching to self-inking stamps.
Deploy an IoT-Based Energy Saving System
The Internet of Things – IoT – can make your entire office building more energy efficient. Through sensors, the IoT system can detect whether or not anyone is present in a room. Afterward, it can turn on the lights and air conditioning of that area, or turn them off if no one is there. That way, you do not have to worry about your employees leaving the office with the lights on.
Ask Everyone to Bring a Mug
Plastic cups should not exist at your office. Of all the wasteful materials at your office, plastic is the most harmful one.
No other material is harming the environment as much as plastic. Plastic is capable of polluting everything from the land to the sea to the air. So why not limit the usage of plastic at your office if you are willing to go green?
Since employees tend to use plastic cups for drinking water from the cooler, ask them to bring their mugs or cups. Completely ban the use of plastic cups and utensils in the office. That should be a good place to start.
You can take it a step further and prevent the use of paper cups as well. People should learn to use utensils that have a longer lifespan. You can use ceramic mugs for years, and they will not harm the environment. Thus, switching to ceramic mugs should be a norm in every office that is looking to become green and sustainable.
Print Double-Sided
Printing on both sides of the paper is a great way to reduce paper wastage at the office. The average US office uses about 10,000 sheets of paper every year. This number can go down if offices stick to double-sided printing.
One-sided printing is the most wasteful thing you can do with your paper at the workplace. Why waste two sheets of paper for something you could have done in one? A tree can produce a little over 8,000 sheets of paper. As you stop wasting paper and start printing double-sided, you can prevent the cutting down of trees.
Recycle Your Paper, Never Shred
People use paper shredders in their offices all the time. These shredders are efficient and can get the job done in just minutes. However, when you are thinking of going green, paper shredding is rather wasteful. It is the least sustainable solution for any office.
Instead of shredding the paper, why not recycle it? Just place the used and unnecessary documents and paper in the recycle bin, and avoid wasting them. According to a report by the EPA – the United States Environmental Protection Agency – US offices produce 2 pounds of paper waste every day per person. So an office with 50 workers can easily produce 100 pounds of paper waste each day. The report also suggests that 50% of all office waste is paper.
Thus, instead of wasting and shredding the paper, just recycle it. Some confidential documents, however, should not be out in the open. Hence, you cannot recycle them. These are exceptional cases, and you can shred them when necessary. For everything else, it is better that you recycle.
By ensuring these small details, you can stop being wasteful at your workplace. Note that it will take a while for you to get used to all this. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to completely stop wastage or go green at the workplace. However, the goal is to try and make the office as sustainable as possible. You can surely reduce wastage to a great extent if not fully prevent it.
