The ever rising threat of global warming is enough to remind everyone that planet earth is getting dangerous by the day because of human activities. Simple things like printing or disposing used reams of paper can easily mean that you are contributing to pollution. Your best bet is therefore to do your part in taking care of the environment around you while at the office. Note that some of the tips you are about to learn about can also be applied at home. At the end of the day, it is all about being a good steward of the environment around you.

Print wisely

Take time to observe what happens when your office waste management service provider is around. You will notice that up to 80% of your office waste is made up of printed materials. That may mean that someone somewhere is printing what’s not necessary. This becomes dangerous if everyone at the office is doing it. To avoid such scenarios, encourage responsible printing.

• Print on both sides – set your printing machine to always print on both sides of the printing paper. This will cut your reducing costs by as much as 50%. It will also go a long way to help you reduce energy consumption at the office.

• Avoid colour printing – unless where necessary, always print what you have to in black and white. Coloured prints consume more energy. You may also have to replace your cartridges regularly. To avoid all that, simply print in black and white.

• Print in draft mode – this happens to be one tip ignored by many. Printing in draft mode will save you ink. Note that draft mode always lightens the shade of whatever is printed. But that does not mean that you will not be able to read your copy. Print in draft mode as often as possible.

Use the right paper

Always buy chlorine free printing paper. Then make sure that the paper has a high percentage of recycled content. You may also wish to consider buying alternative paper made of organic cotton, hemp or bamboo. All these options are organic, so you don’t end up polluting the environment much even where one decides to dispose of printed materials inappropriately.

Consider recycled toner and ink

Toners and cartridges are laced up with harmful metals that pollute the environment. The problem is so rampant in some countries that office owners are encouraged to buy recycled tonners. Embrace that kind if policy too.

Go paperless

This simply means reducing how many times or rather how often you print. Consider distributing memos via email instead of printing them for distribution. You can also consider storing manuals, policies and employee handbooks in PDF.

Use dryers

Have dryers in the washrooms as well as at the office bistro. The main objective here is to reduce use of paper towels. Alternatively, you can consider introducing reusable towels and wet wipes where appropriate.

Encourage recycling

This may sound overambitious but office rubbish in Perth can easily be reduced by as much as 50% if all office owners can encourage and advocate for recycling as well as use of recycled office products. Start by putting a paper recycling bin next to each copier, printer and fax machine. That way, it becomes easy for employers to deposit unwanted pieces of paper in the right receptacles.

Buy the right office equipment

A faulty toner can force you to print several times. That is of course, wastage. Invest in the right brands. You may have to spend more on the best brands. That should not be an issue. Look at the bigger picture and what you will benefit by using the right office appliances in terms of productivity as well as office waste management.