Encouraging reuse of reusable items in the office can be a tricky task. It's one thing doing it in a small home, it's a whole other ball game trying to encourage an office full of people to get on board.
You’ll need to make sure you have an easy-to-follow plan at the ready, and maybe a cup of tea or biscuits to persuade colleagues.
We’ve put together a handy guide of suggestions for what you can do to make a difference in the office:
Provide reusable cutlery and plates
It may seem like a little step, but providing cutlery and plates can be beneficial to the environment. In fact, having amenities like this might make people feel more at home in bringing food/drink to the office and encourage them to avoid making those lunchtime sandwich run trips that result in a lot of wasted packaging!
You’ll just need to make sure there is a dishwasher or sink with some washing up supplies! Hopefully, once you’ve got everything in place, you’ll see the amount of rubbish reduced very quickly.
Reuse boxes from deliveries
If, like us, you receive lots of deliveries each day, then why not make the most of the boxes they come in?
By keeping the boxes, you can reuse them to send out your packages or use them as storage boxes around the office. This reduces the amount of cardboard that is being wasted each year.
Reuse paper
You can reuse paper by using the side of the sheet that hasn’t been used. If you have a meeting, why not grab that sheet of paper you were going to put in the paper recycling bin and use it for note-taking.
Reuse paper clips
As we move to a paperless environment, paper clips are slowly becoming a sight of the past.
If you do still have them laying around your office, they can be used for other things around the office. Things like resetting your electronics, hanging plants to give your office a greener look, or unclogging your spray bottles.
Reuse food waste
Oranges, apples, and pears are healthy snacks that can be reused as compost. If you provide employees a food waste bin, their biodegradable food could become the compost to feed office plants or sent to local community gardens.
Reducing recycling going in waste bins
The best way to reduce the number of recyclable materials ending up in landfill is by offering recycling locations throughout your work area.
By positioning products like the Customisable Plastic Waste Bin or the Box Cycle Quad Internal Recycling Bin, you make it easier for your workplace to recycle. Their clear labels and bright colours help people understand what items need recycling and where.
You could also try removing people’s personal desk bins to see what difference that makes. This will help stop people putting recycling materials in general waste without thinking.
Why not try giving each member of staff a Desktop Recycling Bin - Pack of 50 for their desk. This will encourage people to recycle at their desk.
It doesn’t just have to be office things you recycle. By running electronic recycling drives in your office, people can bring in old or broken electronics. These can then be disposed of properly, with no damage to the environment.
If you’d like to find out more about the bins we have available, please contact our sales team on 01777 858009 or email sales@kingfisherdirect.co.uk.
