Plastic-Pollution-Solution-Tool-Kit-Guide

6 Change your office culture  The first step is to educate and inform your team. People don’t alter their behaviour if they don’t know better. Make sure your staff know what single-use plastics are, and what alternatives are available. Hold a training day, or an ongoing program. Communication is key to changing your office culture! Provide support & incentives It helps to know that you are all working together. Provide incentives so that people will stay committed and come up with new smart ways to help. Some local councils offer programs for businesses – have a look if there are any local incentives that your workplace could be a part of. 8 Ways to Make a Big Difference 5 3 4 6 7 8 Do a ‘Green Audit’ You might not be aware of exactly what items in your office are single-use. Conduct a ‘Green audit’ and find out! Identify single-use items (like office supplies, kitchen items, and cleaning supplies). Recycle, and replace with reusables! Implement a single-use plastic ban  The most effective way to make a difference! Many offices ban single-use plastics (like water bottles, plastic straws, and coffee cups). Choose as a team and decide on reusable alternatives together. Remember that some people with physical disabilities may require items like plastic straws to enjoy their beverages safely. Reusable lunch options  Often we choose single-use because reusables are not available. But many workplaces provide reusable kitchen items (like cups, plates, bowls, metal cutlery and metal straws). Some provide company branded refillable water bottles and reusable lunch boxes. If you have a water cooler, use reusable cups or recyclable paper cups instead of disposable plastic cups. If you have an on-site café, get them involved too! Let’s talk coffee cups Did you know that one of the biggest culprits of plastic pollution is hidden (literally) right under our noses? We all love our morning cup of coffee to start the day, but takeaway coffee cups come with a plastic lid and are lined with invisible plastic inside! It’s easy to provide reusable mugs, or even reusable takeaway ‘Keep Cups’, for your team. And if you have a coffee pod machine, either change machines or buy recyclable pods instead! Responsibly source your supplies When buying office supplies, choose eco-friendly. Look for recycled/recyclable plastic in your cleaning supplies, printing paper, printer cartridge, and stationery supplies. Check out COS’s range of eco-friendly office solutions! Recycling bins ‘Close the loop’ and recycle any unavoidable plastics. Implement or improve the waste-stream in your office by providing clearly labelled and colour-coded recycling bins, with clear instructions on what can be recycled and what can’t be. Check out your local council program or look for an organisation that will properly recycle.  1 2