It’s that time of year again. Christmas is right around the corner and already our minds are filled with blissful thoughts of home-cooked Christmas dinners, blankets of bright white snow and tender moments shared with family and friends. For many of us, it’s our favourite day out of all 365, one that we’ve been secretly counting down the days until since the 26th of December last year.
But for our planet, the thought of everyday waste production being multiplied tenfold is enough to make the ground shake (metaphorically, of course). This year, we’re urging you to be more conscious of the waste you produce at work in an effort to cut our impact on the environment and have an eco-friendly Christmas that everyone benefits from - even the planet. Not sure where to start? Well, you’re in the right place...
Create a culture of recycling
Workplace culture is a key ingredient affecting an office’s sustainability. After all, it’s mostly the people producing waste, and so it makes sense that it’s those exact people who will need to take the necessary steps towards reducing it. If eco-friendly hasn’t been high on your business’s agenda historically, but come Christmas it’s becoming more of a concern, setting up a recycling initiative is about the most cost- and time-effective action you can take.
When it comes to recycling, it’s not just about providing the option, it’s about making it equally as convenient as using the regular waste bin. This is easily done by placing recycling bins next to every regular waste bin, along with printing out a list of items that can and cannot be thrown into it - you’d be surprised at how many people don’t know!
Once the recycling bins are there, why not send an email to your office encouraging them to put them to good use? Put a planet-friendly message out there and you’ll find many of your colleagues are receptive to cutting down on waste when the opportunity is put in front of them.
Take shutting down at Christmas literally
Come Christmas Day, many of our offices both lock up and ‘shut down’. Whether that’s simply for the bank holidays or this extends over into New Year, we believe that shutting down should mean switching off, too - but it would be wrong to say that every office follows this rule. By now, it’s no secret that what might seem like a small amount of energy consumption can soon rack up when your devices are left on standby.
So, this Christmas, as the last job before the team leaves and the doors are locked, where possible, take 10 minutes to switch electronics off at the mains - from printers and fridges through to desktop screens and computer chargers. Of course, if you’re turning off the fridge you’ll probably need to empty it first or risk coming back in to find a mouldy surprise. Rather than bin the contents of the fridge, ask your staff to take what’s theirs home - and give out unclaimed goods to anyone who will take them.
Reassess your disposables
For many small businesses, zero waste is simply not realistic - but that doesn’t mean you can’t make what you do throw away that little bit more eco-friendly. Packaging is often the main source of throwaway waste, so think of ways you can either cut back or improve. At R+R, we stock a huge selection of high-quality eco-friendly packaging products, from biodegradable paper cups to wooden cutlery - so it’s never been easier to cut back on the amount of single-use plastic within the four corners of your office.
This Christmas, give something back to Mother Earth by cutting unnecessary waste out of the equation in your office. By taking these tips on board, you’ll have taken a big step in trimming back on waste and, in turn, making your business more eco-friendly over the festive period.
But why wait until Christmas? There’s no better time to start taking care of the environment than right now. Dive into the R+R Packaging blog for even more tips on how you can win the fight for eco-friendliness.
