Creating a sustainable office is a simple and fantastic way to make your workspace more environmentally friendly. Offices, like homes, contribute to plenty of the country’s waste and therefore, can have terrible effects on the environment. Research carried out by electronics company Kyocera found that the average office worker in the UK uses up to 45 pieces of paper per day and two-thirds of that ends up being wasted. It has also been discovered that UK offices produce 24% of all waste in the country. So, sustainability is definitely something to consider when setting up your own office. These small, easy and quick tips will start you off in the right direction to creating a fully sustainable and environmentally-friendly office.
Buying a compost bin and placing it in the office kitchen will allow employees to dispose of organic waste items including coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable skins, black and white newspaper and cardboard. Using a compost bin allows the recycling of items that would otherwise end up in landfill and once decomposed, the compost can be used on soil outside.
A recycling bin is one of the easiest items to purchase to help create a more sustainable office. There are plenty of everyday office items that can be recycled, including newspapers, magazines, white and brown paper, cardboard, biscuit trays and brown plant pots.
Sharing food is a fun and easy way to create a more sustainable and collaborative working environment. Taking it in turns to cook lunches or bringing food from home will help to reduce food waste at the end of the working day.
In the digital age, going paperless shouldn’t present too many obstacles. Communicating via Slack and email and signing documents using digital signature services are great alternatives to reducing and altogether stopping paper usage.
Turn all power off at night as even devices that are off and plugged in are still using power. Devices in sleep mode will also still be burning power.
Implemented to encourage workers to opt for their bikes instead of their cars and emphasize on sustainability, the cycle to work scheme allows employees to purchase bikes and bike equipment with up to 25% – 39% off, paying nothing upfront. Employers simply need to sign up by registering here.
Purchasing vintage rather than brand new furniture is an easy way to create an environmentally friendly office and there are plenty of stores, car boot sales and online shops where high-quality items can be discovered.
Likewise, recycling old furniture is a great way to continue the recycling chain and ensure that nothing ends up wasting away in a landfill.
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