Although no two businesses are the same when it comes to the waste they generate, there are four waste streams that make up most office waste. While some waste is an inevitability, there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce many of the most common office waste streams to help your organisation meet sustainability goals and safeguard the Australian environment.
PAPER
According to Australian waste disposal company Sydney City Waste, between 60%-80% of office waste is typically made up of paper.
Some organisations, especially those that require the printing and storage of large contracts, legal filing and the like can go through tens of thousands of pages per employee a year.
While some paper waste may be unavoidable thanks to contamination making it non-recyclable, there are several simple ways that offices can limit their paper waste, such as:
• Double-Sided Printing: By using both sides of the paper, organisations can halve the paper waste they generate while still allowing for hard copies of documents.
• Centralised Bins: Removing bins from under desks and using a recycling station placed in a centralised position reduces the chances of paper being disposed of in landfill waste.
Employees are forced to move to the recycling station to dispose of paper, making it easy to sort paper into the correct recycling bin.
FOOD
Australians generate approximately 7.6 million tonnes of food waste per year between home and work. Aside from paying attention to portion control, there are some simple steps that organisations can take to reduce their food waste.
• Don’t Overbuy: If your organisation buys fresh fruit or produce for employees, make sure not to buy too much as this can lead to food waste at week’s end.
• Provide Organic Waste Bins: Green (organic waste) bins should be part of all your waste sorting stations. Specialised organic waste caddies can also be provided for clean and safe disposal or organic waste in small kitchens, canteens and the like.
PRINTING PRODUCTS
Approximately 34 printer cartridges are disposed of in Australian landfill sites every minute, totalling around 18 million cartridges annually. How can we go about reducing printer ink waste?
• Use Remanufactured Cartridges: Remanufactured printer cartridges function much like regular printer cartridges but are made using the shells and controller chips of spent printer ink or laser toner.
• Recycle Used Cartridges: Specialised recycling services, such as Terracycle allow printer ink and toner cartridges to be recycled. In addition to being used for remanufactured cartridges, recycled cartridges can be broken down to steel,
aluminium, and clean plastic, all of which can be used in the manufacture of new products.
E-Waste
According to a study by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), the average Australian generates around 20kg of e-waste annually, an alarmingly higher amount than the global average of 7kg.
Australian e-waste output is growing around 3 x times faster than our general waste output, contributing to over 140,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually.
While it may be tempting to throw away old technology, there are far smarter ways to deal with e-waste.
• Recycle for Parts: With 90-95% of e-waste components recyclable; devices without resale value or function should be recycled for parts.
• Pass it on: Donate or sell working electronics to mitigate e-waste.
• Fix It: Consider repairing broken electronics instead of discarding them.
USE RECYCLING SCHEMES
Utilise e-waste recycling facilities like the government-funded program National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, or specialised e-waste recycling bins.
By adopting these strategies, organisations can reduce office waste, support Australia’s sustainability goals, and promote eco-friendly practices by managing paper, food, printing products, and e-waste.
To find out how the Zero Waste Initiative and centralised bins can help your organisation divert waste from landfill and meet its sustainability goals, click here.
