Zero-Waste Office Ideas, Tips & Supplies

Recently, we have become more aware of how to save our planet. Fossil fuels, carbon footprints, and ozone layers are no longer things we read about in books or on the news.

We all need to do our share, making individual changes in our lives to collectively create a better world. 

At Escape Waste, we know that once we’ve created change on personal levels, you can then transition those changes into livelihoods – our schools, community centers, and workplaces. Transforming these collective realms into zero-waste spaces can lead to bigger movements for protecting our finite resources.

Read how you can transform your business into a zero-waste office, and how it can benefit your brand, production, and succession!

Plan Your Zero-Waste Office

When you introduce the idea of zero-waste into your business, you’ll see positive effects far beyond issues on climate conservation. It’s more than just environmental-based benefits. Having a zero-waste office management policy could improve brand reputation, staff relations, and lower business costs. 

It’s all about understanding how to merge the process to suit your business. Clock this, and you’ll stand true to your human obligations for our planet and enterprise simultaneously.

Spotting Areas of Waste

So, where do you start? Look out to spot areas in your workplace that create a consistent volume of mass waste.

One of the biggest areas to manage is waste resources. This is predominantly waste bins and dumpsters in communal areas, like the kitchen or staff rooms.

You can’t effectively manage what type of waste will be brought into your workplace, especially from your staff. But you can control how it leaves. 

Having a strong recycling policy for all waste is a great zero-waste method. Separate bins for distinct materials, especially for single-use plastics and food waste, are vital for workplaces with a bigger workforce.

You can identify and monitor waste patterns and adjust to control your situation. If your office waste consists of a lot of coffee pods, then have a specific disposal bin for them. Or even better – switch to reusable coffee pods.

Have compost bins with carbon filters for food waste, and bigger bins instead of smaller workstation bins. If your office accumulates too much organic waste, you can even opt for a bigger electric compost machine.

Implement Zero-Waste Policies

When you’ve successfully spotted all the waste problems, aim to create zero-waste policies.

Research and develop methods for how to best bring them into your workspace. 

Tailor and amend methods before finalizing policies.

Assign a zero-waste officer to help with your zero-waste policies. They can help find the best solutions that will suit your business precisely.

Together, create programs to monitor and analyze waste products. And regulate progress and end-goals for trading as a zero-waste company. 

Actionable Tips for a Zero-Waste Office

1. Reduce Paper Usage

• Switch to digital documents and cloud storage for notes, memos, and file sharing.
• Use recycled paper when printing is unavoidable and print double-sided.
• Decrease the font size of your documents to use less paper.
• Try: Elementree Sustainable Printer Paper

2. Opt for Sustainable Writing Tools

• Use refillable pens and pencils made from sustainable materials like bamboo or recycled plastic.
• Try: Onyx and Green Bamboo Ballpoint Pens

3. Set Up a Waste Sorting Station

• Provide clearly labeled bins for compost, recycling, and landfill waste.
• Try: Stainless Steel Compost Bin with Charcoal Filters

4. Eliminate Disposable Office Supplies

• Replace single-use sticky notes with a reusable whiteboard or sticky pads made of recycled materials.
• Try: EcoSticky Recycled Paper Notes

5. Sustainable Office Furniture

• Choose second-hand, refurbished, or sustainably sourced furniture.
• Look for products made with bamboo, reclaimed wood, or recycled metal.

6. Green Cleaning Practices

• Stock eco-friendly, plastic-free cleaning supplies for the office.
• Use natural loofah dish sponges to clean cutlery and dishes in the office kitchen.
• Try: Blueland Clean Suite Kit

7. Bring Your Own Lunch Kits

• Encourage reusable lunch containers, utensils, and cloth napkins instead of disposable options.
• Use beeswax food wraps as an alternative to plastic wrap for leftovers.
• Implement a “bring your own lunch” policy to reduce takeout container waste.
• Try: Stasher Reusable Silicone Bags

8. Switch to Plastic-Free Packaging Supplies

• Use paper tape, biodegradable packing peanuts, and recyclable boxes for shipping.
• Try: Paper Tape by Tapebear

9. Sustainable Lunch & Coffee Breaks

• Replace single-use coffee pods and plastic stirrers with a French press, reusable filters, or biodegradable stirrers.
• Replace disposable items with reusable alternatives in the break room and kitchen.
• Install water filtration systems to eliminate the need for bottled water.
• Try: APEC Water Systems

10. Reduce Energy Consumption

• Use energy-efficient LED lighting and turn off equipment when not in use.
• Consider a programmable thermostat to optimize heating and cooling.
• Try: Sensi Smart Thermostat

11. Encourage Zero-Waste Habits

• Host workshops or provide tips for employees on zero-waste living, both at work and home.
• Create an incentive program for sustainable actions.
• Provide resources for your team such as e-books, podcasts, and sustainable blogs.
• Try: 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste

Zero-Waste Office Supplies: Stationery & Accessories

1. Reusable notebooks with erasable pages
2. Plastic-free paper clips
3. Eco-friendly desk organizer made from bamboo
4. Elementree sustainable printer paper
5. EcoSticky recycled paper notes
6. Refillable whiteboard markers
7. Textsurfer dry highlighter pencil
8. Paper tape by Tapebear
9. Stainless steel reusable straws
10. Reusable tote bags for office supplies
11. Biodegradable trash bags
12. Rechargeable AA batteries with charger
13. Bamboo keyboard and mouse

Utilize Business Assets

You might have a habit of keeping stock for office stationery or cleaning supplies. But you don’t have to keep them in abundance, because of fears of empty bottles or tissue dispensers.

Just like how we stick shopping lists on the fridge, you should have a list of supplies to order when needed, not because it’s a monthly task.

If you overbuy, staff will create wastage from the surplus of stock. If you have drawers full of pens, they’ll most likely resort to using them constantly for convenience, rather than taking one and using them until it runs out.

Even the over-usage of paper is an easy factor to combat but is often ignored. Storing data in the cloud can save your paper costs instantly. You can also resort to emailing memos and swapping any documentation for e-versions instead.

Involve Employees

Getting your employees involved in following a zero-waste lifestyle can be achieved in numerous ways. 

You can hold sustainability workshops and provide information and guidance on incorporating successful changes. These can be used in professional and personal lifestyles. Organize trips to community events that involve environmental clean-ups or sustainability meetings.

You could also introduce initiatives to encourage your staff to create zero-waste. Have point systems or league tables and build up a friendly competition between workers. It all adds up to bringing in the biggest change in your workplace. 

On an individual scale, employees can aim to have a zero-waste lunch, maybe once a week. Or you could encourage them to bring a coffee mug from home or use reusable water bottles, steel straws, canvas lunch bags, bento lunch boxes, etc.

Simplify Zero-Waste Processes

Implementing wide-swept changes across your workplace might be difficult to keep up with. If processes are complicated or enforced, your workers might retaliate and choose to bend the rules. 

Decide which zero-waste methods and policies suit your business and workplace. And don’t pick too many rules, nor place harsh consequences for not complying.

Once you’ve run a few policies, you’ll be able to make amendments and adjust your rules to suit your workers and business effectively.

Remember, the aim is to create long-term change rather than quick fixes. Together we can reduce and eliminate landfills and pollution; helping to heal the planet before we create permanent scars.

It’s almost impossible for workplaces to create definitively zero amount of waste unless it’s a home office, which is far from waste-free. But taking the first steps towards a more sustainable future is ultimately the best method to take for your own business’ prosperity and longevity.