Keeping Your Workplace Environmentally Friendly

By doing these things, not only will you make yourself become more conscious of the environment but your colleagues as well. You might think that it's just one soda can or it's just one piece of paper, but eventually everything adds up.

Recycle Unwanted Paper
Many workplaces go through stacks of paper a day and some if has been printed out of error or is no longer needed. Many people usually reach for the trash can, but if everyone in turn chose to recycle these, think about how many tree we would be saving? Keep a box near your desk or set up one near the community printer, so that way whenever you come across papers that are duplicated or no longer necessary you can just put them in the box. When the box fills up simply empty the contents into the general recycle bins for the weekly recycle truck to come by and pick up. We have this set up at my workplace and you suddenly realize how much paper would have gone to waste, if we hadn't put them in the recycle box.

Recycle Printer Ink Cartridges
If you work a place that prints a lot of paper, then you might want to consider refilling your printer ink cartridges when they run out instead of tossing them. Not only are these ink cartridges bulky, but they might still have some leftover ink residue left inside which is toxic to the environment. Office supplies stores will take your used cartridges and refill them for a lower cost than purchasing a brand new one, and there are even places where you can send a bulk of your used cartridges where they can refill them all for you and send it back to you to save you a trip (or multiple) to the store.

Recycle Cans and Bottles
This seems like a no-brainer, but you will not realize how many people just throw out a soda can or water bottle in the trash simply because they are too lazy to put it in the recycle bin. If the general recycle bin is too far from your work cubicle, set up a recycle box in the company kitchen so that everyone can pitch in their share. We have done this at my workplace and we end up saving a lot of recyclable containers from being unnecessarily dumped into landfills. If you usually go out to eat for lunch, keep a bag in your car trunk to keep any cans or bottles that you finished drinking from, which later you can turn them into a nearby recycling center. I do this in my car and since most towns have a recycling center, during your lunch hour or after work you can simply drop them off at one.