Workplaces are our second home, and as such, companies continue to make improvements in regards to their comfort and safety. If you’re in charge of carrying out this task and are thinking of quick but effective ways to make small eco-friendly improvements in the workplace, here some things you can do today.
Encourage Proper Waste Disposal
The key to accomplishing this is to make sure that proper office recycling bins are located in strategic and key areas at work. Depending on how an area in the workplace is used, there has to be enough recycling bins located in the said area to ensure that it can accommodate the capacity of recyclable products that people dispose of within the said area. The copy room, for example, may need more bins located within its space, especially if this is also where people shred documents or send other paper materials as for filing or for disposal. Other key areas include the pantry as well as outdoor spaces within the facility’s premises like the outdoor break area. You may also set up recycling stations near exits and entrances and ones for specific items like batteries and non-functioning devices to encourage proper disposal of these items.
Consider Using Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
One of the most used supplies in the workplace are cleaning products. In the pantry alone, washing mess kits call for the use of dishwashing soaps multiple times a day. Workers use other cleaning products like hand soaps, surface cleaners for tabletops and floors, and cleaning products for carpet and upholstery on a daily basis. Using non-toxic cleaning products that do away with chemicals that can pollute indoor air, not only improves the indoor environment of the workplace, it also ensures a safe, toxin-free environment. This is because eco-friendly products do not contain harmful chemicals that are harmful to the environment and to people.
Implement More Smart Casual Days
In light of using eco-friendly cleaning products, everyone at work can benefit from sending work clothes for dry cleaning less frequently. This is possible when they follow a dress code that implements more smart casual and dress down days than one that requires them to wear layers of formal clothing 80% of the workweek. Not only will it reduce personal expenses on suits and power outfits, but it will also reduce cooling costs during the warmer and hot months of the year, as people aren’t wrapped up in layers of clothing. Smart casual dressing is a great way to don a business look without breaking a sweat, especially during the summer season. The key to implementing this flawlessly is to discuss proper clothing guidelines that specify the types of clothes that are considered smart casual and which ones aren’t. The same goes for smart casual footwear guidelines.
Allocate Washing Stations
Washing stations are quite important, and as much as possible, be located in key areas of the workplace – near entry and exits and near work stations. This encourages handwashing which is essential in keeping viruses and bacteria from spreading, resulting in a healthier indoor environment. Washing stations also provide an accessible cleaning area for reusable mess kits, which helps encourage employees to continue making use of reusable drink and food containers, as well as encourage others to follow. This way, the workplace creates a space where it makes it easy to live consciously and more environmentally friendly. Washing stations make it easy to clean and rinse any reusable items so it’s less work and more possible to do for everyone.
So if you’ve been tasked to make improvements in the workplace and must consider ecologicaL and environment-friendly options, these suggestions are quite simple and easy to carry out. Taking steps towards a greener workplace doesn’t have to be costly and complicated. Sometimes it’s the basic and simple steps that yield best results.
