Across the country, Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their actions and purchasing habits. While many regional programs have been put in place to lessen the generation of specific kinds of waste, such as grocery bag and plastic straw bans, it’s hard to ignore that these waste sources pale in comparison to the astronomical amount of waste from commercial and industrial sources.
One of the biggest commercial leaders in reducing waste is the typical office environment. Switching to paperless communication has already had a tremendous impact on waste generation, but we still have a long way to go. For example, nearly 27% of all waste in the US comes from paper, and almost 45% of all printed pages you’ll find in offices ultimately end up in the trash can.
But while reducing paper waste is a worthwhile goal for any office, it’s not the only place they can improve. Switching exterior landscaping to low maintenance plants with lower water needs, or providing your staff with reusable silverware and flatware for lunches, can also quickly add up. We encourage all small business owners, office managers, and secretaries to take a good look at the ways they can minimize waste production at their offices, because all it takes is a few small changes to make a big impact.
Source: commercial junk removal company