GOW 2011 - Act on Waste

Today for Green Office Week we are being encouraged to Act on Waste

This is probably one of the easiest, most practical and used methods for being green in offices, The three R's - Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.

Here are today's tips from the Green Office Week website:  

1:  Use a bulldog clip to transform scrap paper into bound notepads for internal use or get the local printer to cut and bind some for you.  
2:  Donate used furniture and computer equipment to charities, youth groups and other local organisations 
3:  Re use envelopes, jiffy bags and cardboard packaging by over-labeling previous address details  
4:  Avoid using envelopes with plastic windows which are difficult to recycle   
5:  Set your printer default to double print using both sides of a sheet of paper

Reduce
We have a policy in place to ensure that only essential documents are printed to keep print wastage to a minimum, and do as much on-screen as we can. Any printing that needs to be done, we make sure is double-sided, where appropriate.

Reuse
Where it is practical to do so, we will re-use packaging such as cardboard boxes and padded envelopes. I have a box under my desk where any waste paper goes, which we form into notebooks for telephone messages or notes and can use for printing.

Recycle
We have a number of recycling points set up around the office to recycle paper & plastic. We also have a an arrangement with a company who collect & recycle any unused hardware.