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| Waste
at work |
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| Reduce, reuse, recycle
and rethink are the cornerstones
for any business wanting
to minimise their environmental
impact. |
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| These tips will help
start your company down
the path to becoming more
environmentally responsible
without compromising profitability.
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| Reduce
Send and receive newsletters
via email, print double
sided, share stationery,
turn computers off at
the wall at night, buy
refillable pens, use a
glass at the water dispenser
(not a disposable cup)
- these may seem small
actions but they create
large savings in the long
run, especially if everyone
at your work chipped in!
And it's not just about
solid waste, is your company
wasting energy in terms
of its transport consumption?
Is your vehicle fleet
energy efficient? How
about cutting back on
those international flights
and investing in video
conferencing equipment
instead? Read our Transport
at work page for more
ideas. |
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| Reuse
If you can't find a second
use for it in the workplace,
try The
Waste Exchange. It's
a region-wide information
exchange designed to help
your business find markets
for your industrial by-products,
surplus materials and
waste. Through the exchange,
waste generators can be
matched with waste users
and re-users. If you have
surplus office equipment,
why not donate it to a
local charity or pop it
on Trade Me and donate
the funds to your company's
favourite cause. |
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| Recycle
Let you fingers do the
walking as they say. Once
you start investigating
online you'll be surprised
just how much demand there
is for your used materials.
Paper, plastic, glass,
packaging, manufacturing
materials, fluorescent
tubes, toner cartridges,
mobile phones, batteries,
computers and printers.
Get an idea of who's in
the market for recycled
materials using the Zero
Waste Buy
it Back guide. Even
the lunchroom scraps could
become a valuable resource.
Start a bokashi
composting system or worm
farm in your staffroom.
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| Rethink
Reducing your company's
waste is in large part
about approach and company
culture. A change in culture
that values the environment
and takes responsibility
for waste has got to start
at the top. Need ideas?
The
Natural Step provides
a strategic planning tool
for sustainability and
a framework for re-designing
the way your company operates.
Creating and implementing
a waste management policy
is also a great place
to start. |
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| Environmental
Policy So, let's
get that waste reduction
policy in place. To design
a policy that's right
for your business you
first need to collect
accurate information on
the materials your business
is throwing out and how
much your waste disposal
is currently costing.
This data can help you
decide how to best reduce
waste and then measure
the progress and savings
the company makes. The
policy could, for example,
specify buying products
that are recycled and/or
recyclable. Zero Waste's
waste
audit manual offers
lot of ideas for getting
started. |
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| Organic
waste In the
business of making and
selling food? Or do you
have a shared lunchroom?
Kitchen waste and leftovers
can be collected and used
in a composting process
rather than being sent
to landfill. Alternately
you could encourage employees
to take their organic
lunch scraps home to add
to their own compost systems. |
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| Careful
purchasing Select
products that have been
given the Green
Tick or Environmental
Choice label. This
could all be specified
in your Environmental
Policy. |
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| Sustainable
Business Network
Join the Sustainable Business
Network and share ideas,
and get support and encouragement
from other businesses
that are trying to reduce
their environmental impact. |
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| For more ideas check
out these websites |
| The
Green Office |
| Reduce
Your Rubbish |
| Waste
Minimisation Institute
of NZ |
| Zero
Waste |
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| Lunchtime scraps
from benchtop to worm farm |
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