Waste is a buzzword right now. As a society, we’re becoming much more aware of how much we waste, and what an adverse effect this is already having on our planet. As these effects look set to intensify, it becomes more critical that we all do our bit, at home and at work, to reduce our waste. This goes for everything from food waste, to water. Everything that you throw away or fail to recycle or any resource that you use carelessly is waste.
So, what can you do? As a small business owner, the idea of cutting your waste can be hard to comprehend. When you are working on a small budget, some of the tactics used by larger companies might not be available to you, but there is still a lot that you can do. In the US we produce an average of 4.3 pounds of waste per person every day. That’s nearly twice as much as we did in 1960 and twice as much as Japan do today. To combat this, we all need to make changes. Here’s what you can do.
Get a Water Tank
Whatever your business, you are sure to use water. Even if it’s just to flush the toilets, wash hands and boil the kettle, you are using water. Of course, there’s plenty that you can do to cut your usage. You can install a damn on your toilets, encourage people to only use what they need, recycle undrunk water from cups and bottles and fix any leaks. But, fitting a rainwater collecting tank from https://www.nationalpolyindustries.com.au/ can give you access to a natural water supply. Read https://healthfully.com/effects-wasting-water-8441014.html to learn more about the effects of water waste.
Go Paperless
Ten years ago, it wouldn’t have seemed possible to go paperless in an office. But, a lot has changed in that time. We can view documents online, easily sharing with other users. We can keep invoices online and do all our accounting with spreadsheets. We can view screens on the go on our tablets and smartphones. There’s usually very little need to print, and you’ll soon get used to doing more on a screen. On the rare occasions that you do need to print, use recycled paper and print double-sided.
Get Rid of Packaging
It’s thought that one-third of all of the waste created in the developed world is from packaging. Think about everything that you buy and sell. Do your supplies come in plastic packages? Do you utilise single-use shipping containers? Do you send your own products wrapped in plastic? In today’s world, there’s no need. Switch to reusable shipping containers, and make sure you use recyclable paper and cardboard instead of plastic.
Do an Audit
The best way to plan your waste reducing strategy is by finding out exactly where you stand at the moment. What are you wasting? What systems are already in place? What do you recycle? Are your staff well educated and trained when it comes to waste? Knowing what you are doing wrong, or what you could be doing better is the first step to making a plan to do more.