Do you have a well-thought-out waste management policy in your office? Reducing waste in the office not only leads to a cleaner environment (and consequently a cleaner image), but it also saves costs and contributes to your CSR goals. It’s a win-win-win situation. But how do you get started? With these tips, you’ll undoubtedly give your waste management policy a significant boost!
1. Waste reduction in the office starts with a thorough analysis
Before attempting to reduce your waste randomly, it’s essential to consider where the waste comes from and which materials are most frequently discarded. A waste audit can help with this.
Sorting waste is one thing, but sustainably sorting it is another. More than half of total waste is thrown away as residual waste. This is regrettable because residual waste contains many valuable resources. If your company aims for a sustainable approach, opt for a waste audit. This provides insight and awareness into the potential to sort waste even better.
2. Sensitize your employees
Involving (some of) your employees in this waste audit is a significant help. This way, they also become aware of the amount of waste produced and the importance of keeping it as minimal as possible. Additionally, awareness campaigns in your company are a good idea to encourage your employees to reduce waste in the office.
3. Purchase products and materials smarter
Or, simply put: only buy what is necessary. Opt for minimal packaging and maximum recyclable materials with each purchase. Buy materials in bulk, opt for larger packaging, and more concentrated products. At Multi Masters Group, we are fighting against single-use plastics and taking many measures to reduce both our plastic usage and that of our customers.
4. Work as much as possible digitally
Do you need to print something? Or can it just be digital? Think twice before sending your files to the printer. It not only reduces waste in the office but also saves you a lot of money, considering paper, ink, or printer maintenance. If printing is necessary, choose black and white as much as possible and print double-sided on recycled paper. Another tip: the ‘draft’ setting consumes less ink and is often more than sufficient.
5. Place waste bins in strategic locations
We may not be able to avoid all waste, but we can try to sort it as best as possible. Are there still traditional waste bins under every desk in your company? Then, there are probably still too many recyclable materials ending up there. Waste stations in strategic locations offer a good solution for this. Where should you place them? Close to the workplace or in a central location where many employees pass by. Make it clear for your employees which type of waste belongs in which bin. This can be easily done with colors or icons per bin.
6. Dispose of your disposable cups properly
Are disposable cups still being used for coffee in the office? Then it’s time to opt for a more sustainable alternative. At Multi Masters Group, we choose auum-s, the ‘compact dishwasher’ with economic cleaning technology. With the auum-s, which we can also place in your company, employees drink coffee from a reusable Bodum glass that is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and dried after each use.
7. Replace plastic bottles with tap water
A significant portion of plastic waste comes from plastic bottles. The solution: reusable bottles. Have you ever thought about giving reusable bottles with your company’s logo as a gift for your employees? Combine this with (filtered) tap water in the office, and you’ll save a lot of plastic bottles in your waste bins.
Multi Masters Group acts as a partner to its clients
When you engage a facility services provider like Multi Masters Group, you benefit as well. How? As a company, we take numerous initiatives towards CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and reducing waste in the office is one of them. We not only implement these initiatives in our own buildings, but our masters are also well-trained to support you as a customer. This way, we even contribute to your company’s CSR policy.
