Some products have the need to be recycled more than others. We should be most obliged to educate ourselves and others about environmental responsibilities. Some of the most important things that need to be recycled in an office are printer ink cartridges, papers, old hardware, etc. Businesses and individuals alike have the responsibility to recycle things. If you run a business and do not have a proper recycling policy in place and do not bother recycling things, you could even be violating a local or state law. However, there is more to it than just following a law because recycling is one of the most vital aspects of waste management for an office and prevent reusable materials end-up in landfills. By actively participating in recycling you can reduce your carbon footprint and also inspire others around you and preserve our environment for our future generations.
We have listed top 5 products that need to be recycled.
Old Computer Hardware
Almost all offices nowadays have computers. Even in the post-pc era, the only place where one could find a lot of desktops is office. As technology advances, the need to upgrade computers is inevitable. You should find a certified place that can recycle computer hardware. Proper recycling starts with minimal production of waste. For instance, if the computers at your office have become old and are quite sluggish, you should probably look for a way to upgrade the machine rather than replace them. Most of the time, all it takes to improve the performance of the machine is to upgrade RAM or GPU in the machine. Broken computers should be recycled properly and disposed through a certified company for effective recycling.
Printer Ink Cartridge
Printer cartridge contains ink/toner remnant, foam, plastic, metal and other chemicals and is one of the most important things to recycle in your office. Printer cartridges ending up in landfills will cause a lot of problem to our environment than many other products used in workplace. More over recycling printer ink cartridges is pretty easy nowadays. A lot of cartridges you buy from online stores come with a return envelope so that you don’t have to find a certified recycling company. There are also some companies that offer discounts on new purchases when you return old cartridges.
Batteries
Batteries are everywhere and they need proper disposal and recycling. Batteries could be quite a nuisance if not disposed properly. Batteries should never be simply tossed in to the trash can that can end in landfills and leak all the harmful chemicals and acids into the soil. Most of the states have mandatory recycling programs for electronics, especially batteries.
Paper
Reduce the use of paper as much as possible at the work place. Reduce the use of throw away plastic or paper cups in the pantry by replacing them with coffee mugs. You can set the printer to print on both sides when printing documents that are not important. You can also encourage your employees to use a softcopy as much as possible than printing everything out on a paper. Don’t just throw away shipping boxes and envelopes. You can use the old envelops and boxes simply by covering the old shipping address with a label. If the printed piece of paper which is printed one side is old or not useful anymore, you can reuse the back of the document than throwing it in to trash.
Plastic Bottles
It is a sad truth that nearly 80 percent of plastic water bottles end up in landfills. Billions of single-serving bottles are sold round the globe every year. Plastic bottles are pretty easy to recycle simply because they always have a demand and they are made using a most commonly used type of plastic. You can go one step further, and completely stop buying single-serving water bottles and invest in a water cooler. The upfront cost of buying a water cooler could be high, but it will help reduce costs and also reduce your carbon footprint.
Finally, your business cannot go green without the participation of employees. You should teach your workers that recycling products is as important as shipping on time. You should create an office culture of reusing and recycling products that will give give your workers the pride in doing something to preserve the environment for the future.