Workplace Waste Reduction content includes
Rubbish reduction and electricity and water saving in workplace.
A,
Rubbish reduction in workplace:
What is problem?
Over 50 Percent of rubbish thrown into
landfills in NZ is from business, including shops, offices and factories.
Like rubbish from your home, much of the
rubbish from businesses can be recycled and doesn’t need to end up in a
landfill – including clean paper and cardboard, some plastics, glass, metals
and food scraps.
What can I do about it?
Become a Rubbish reduction champion at work
and look for ways to reduce rubbish in your office or factory. You could even
save your company money by reducing the amount of rubbish taken away.
You can reduce rubbish at your work by:
1, reducing the amount of paper you use by
sending documents electronically, (e-mail), using double-sided copying and
printing or reusing one sided copies for drafts. Always check on screen for
errors before print and use the Print Preview function as well.
2, reducing rubbish from lunch packaging by
bringing reusable containers form home.
3, organising a recycling collection for
your office or factory-check with your local council for options in your area.
4, Recycling and reduce paper, plastic and
glass in your office and lunchroom.
a,
Recyclable items at work can be saved up in a box, e.g. glass, cardboard, milk
containers, drinks can etc. and taken home to go out with the kerbside
recycling if office recycling collection is not available.
b,
Use your own mug instead of a disposable cup.
5, setting up a worm bin at work or taking
food scraps home for composting including tea bags etc.
B,
Electricity and water saving:
1, Save electricity.
Make sure all computers and other office
equipment are turned off when they are not being used and that lights are
turned off when natural light is sufficient.
Use energy efficient light bulbs where
possible.
Make sure energy saving features on PCs,
printers and photocopiers are enabled.
Use the stairs rather than a lift,
Change the thermostat on the heating or
air-conditioning.
Use blinds to reduce solar gain in summer
and save on air-conditioning costs.
Don’t fill the kettle to make a single cup
of coffee.
2, Save water.
A, Check for leaks:
Check all taps and pipes for leaks;
Repair leaking taps and toilets;
Never leave taps running.
B, Reduce volume of water in toilets:
Make sure all appliances and fittings have
an AAA rating.
Install a dual flush toilet system.
C, Reassess Urinals, showers & taps:
Urinals can waste huge amounts of water, as
often they leak or are set to flush too frequently. We suggest:
For Automatic flush- set to flush once or
twice an hour, and turned off outside office hours.
Install sensors which know when they need
to flush.
Install a new waterless urinal.
Check and maintain urinals regularly.
Showers consume the significant amounts of
hot water; however you can still have an effective shower with less water.
Install a water efficient, low flow
showerhead, AAA rated.
Install sensors on taps that turn off
automatically when not used.
Install an instantaneous gas or electric
water heater, not a storage cylinder.
Use Sun Power by installing a solar water
heater to preheat incoming water.
Reduce soap waste by providing a soap
dispenser.
D, Look for efficient ways of drying hands:
Cotton Hand Towels,
Cotton hand towels, either the dispenser
towels, or individual towels are probably the best option in terms of waste
reduction, and also hygienic.
Electric hand dryers,
Providing energy efficient electric hand
dryer will reduce waste and the need of r washing or drying of towels.
Disposable paper towels,
Disposable paper towels are some times
cited as the most hygienic option for hand drying. However, paper towels create
waste and can be very untidy if not managed properly.
Purchase recycled paper towels,
Used hand towels can be composted in a
commercial composting unit.