Office recycling can mean utilizing containers and recycling supplies. But it can also mean adjusting normal office activities to look differently. For instance, instead of having disposable coffee cups for employees when they take their morning coffee break, encourage them to bring coffee mugs from home to keep at the office and wash daily.
Another way to encourage an eco-friendly office place is to rethink lunchtime. While it can be a great idea to provide lunch for employees once in a while to boost morale, there are ways to reduce the waste that is created from these lunches.
Pizza Boxes
It used to be that pizza boxes were not recyclable. But now, that has changed. Even though pizza boxes can be coated with grease, it was actually found in studies conducted that this grease did not impact the cardboard fibers as much as it was originally thought. If the grease on the box is less than 10%, not much damage is done. However, recycling companies will need to have specific rules about recycling pizza boxes laid out so that employers know whether or not they will be accepted. Find a recycling company that will accept all types of cardboard, such as pizza boxes, as long as they are not significantly soiled so that lunchtime can look more eco-friendly than it did in times past.
Take-Out Containers
Another popular lunch choice is take-out. The Styrofoam containers that used to be used by every restaurant for take-out orders are not recyclable. But today, many restaurants have converted to compostable take-out containers. Next time you consider take-out, look at the container and notice if it says compostable or commercially compostable on the packaging. If it does, don’t dispose of it in the trash. Instead, check to see if an office recycling program will accept these containers.
For more information about how to implement office recycling tips for eco-friendly office space, contact Mission Recycling.
