Waste management: Four golden rules to avoid waste and save money

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 Recently there have been reports of a growing complacency in businesses with regard to waste – particularly with regard to wasting paper and other consumables.

In a survey, conducted by research firm Loudhouse on behalf of Kyocera, it emerged that the average office worker uses around 10,000 sheets of paper every year – an estimated 6,800 of which are wasted. And paper is just the tip of the iceberg.

With frequent warnings about climate change and other environmental issues, all businesses have a responsibility to be more eco-aware and protect the environment. This means cutting back on wasteful habits and keeping resources out of landfills, where they may take years to decompose properly.

So how can we cut waste, save money and be kinder to the environment? These four golden rules may be well-known in principle, but how do they fare in practice?

1. Reduce
Start by looking at ways to reduce the amount of waste you create. For example, turning off the photocopier at night could save enough energy to produce more than 1500 copies. Double-sided printing can instantly save you up to 50% on your paper costs and using an ink-saving typeface, such as Ecofont, could save you up to 25% on toner and printer ink. Better still, introduce policies to eliminate unnecessary printing, such as emails, altogether. These are simple savings, but they all add up over time.

2. Repair
How many times have you thrown something away because it was broken? A chair with a loose fixing? A computer monitor with a faulty button? An electrical item that just stopped working? A simple repair can often get more mileage out of your existing equipment for a fraction of the money, and carbon emissions, needed to replace it.

3. Reuse
Did you know that if everyone in your company switched to a proper drinking mug you could save around 700 paper cups per person, per year? You could even encourage your employees to bring in their own mugs.

How often do you buy things like paperclips, elastic bands, boxes and jiffy bags? Many of these things can be reused, but often end up in the bin without a second thought, while money is wasted on new ones. What about writing pads? A bulldog clip and a stack of waste paper does the same job for less money.

If you have waste that you can't reuse, why not look into passing it on to someone who can? Artists are always looking for new materials to work with and other companies might be able to use those small offcuts that you can't.

Investing in reusable items, such as rechargable batteries and dry-wipe boards might seem more expensive at first, but will save you money in the long-term compared with disposable alternatives.

4. Recycle
If there is no way to reuse or repair an item, recycling is the next best option. Your employees should be aware of exactly which items can be recycled, either in their entirety or as stripped down parts. They should also understand the importance of keeping recyclable items clean and not contaminating them by disposing of other materials in the same bin.

If you would like to improve eco-awareness in your business, maybe we can help. We have a wide variety oforiginal poster designs covering all aspects of waste reduction.

To see more samples and find out how our posters can work for you, why not contact us.

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If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.