Being in the janitorial services and solutions industry, we are particularly interested in business waste here at LACOSTA. As part of this, we consistently emphasize helping our clients reduce waste at their worksites, not only because it can help reduce costs for them but also because it can help preserve the environment as well – a dual benefit. 

This post will discuss a few actions and steps you can take at your business to help cut down on the waste produced by you, your employees, and your business in general. Also, we will discuss how these steps may help your business save money in the long-run. 

Go Paperless

The easiest way to decrease waste at your business is to go paperless. Nowadays, everybody uses technology, and almost all employees are extremely proficient in it. As such, the transition can be effortless and straightforward. 

For example, do you need to provide everyone at the meeting with a copy of the PowerPoint presentation? Or, does everyone in the office need to receive that memo on paper when it can just be emailed out? All of these are quick and easy ways to cut down on waste – plus, for large businesses, cutting down on paper can lead to substantial savings. 

Encourage Employees to Use Reusable Water Bottles

Another way to cut down on waste is to encourage employees to use reusable water bottles. This can be accomplished by providing new employees with a company-branded water bottle. Not only will this cut down on waste, but it is an excellent way to welcome employees to the team and make them feel like a part of the business family. 

Some employers provide employees with, for example, a company branded backpack stuffed with goodies. These goodies can include other reusable things besides just water bottles, such as reusable coffee cups and more. 

Have a Waste Audit Conducted

Waste audits are a full survey of a worksite or facility’s regular, day-to-day waste stream, which identifies ways businesses can cut down on costly problems. 

You shouldn’t underestimate the power and effectiveness of waste audits. Many times, waste audits can reveal huge waste stream problems that, when corrected, result in amazing savings for businesses. 

Use Double-Sided Printing

Even when businesses go paperless, they still often have to use paper for certain tasks – it is often unavoidable. However, you can further cut down on paper usage by setting the default printing settings of company computers and printers to double-sided printing. Obviously, you can still allow for single-sided printing, but if employees know they should print double-sided whenever possible, you can cut paper waste in half – literally! 

Increase the Number of Recycling Bins and Decrease the Trash Bins

Offices usually have tons of trash bins, but often we see far fewer recycling bins. This seems counterintuitive, since you definitely want to encourage your employees to recycle whenever possible. The best way to do this is to increase the number of recycling bins. Indeed, you should aim to have one recycling bin next to every trash bin in the worksite. 

One solution we offer for our clients to cut down on trash is to cut down on trash bins in general, typically having only a few, more centralized trash collection areas in the workplace. Not only does this cut down on costs, but it can also encourage employees to reuse things and cut down on the trash they produce since they have to make an effort to take it to a trash can that isn’t necessarily right next to their desk. 

Emphasize Your Business’ Waste Goals to Employees

The best way to cut down on waste is to emphasize to employees your goals as a business. If employees don’t know about your efforts to cut down on waste, they may not pay any attention to them or even learn about them. 

Whenever you onboard new employees, tell them about your priorities within the workplace. Then, every once and in a while, send an email letting them know how the company is doing regarding waste and letting them know how they can continue to contribute. A few fast facts about how they are helping the environment and the company can really encourage  employees to keep up the great work. 

Overview

At LACOSTA, we are concerned about cutting down on waste, both within our own workplace and our clients’ worksites. As such, we pay keen attention to ways we can help our clients cut down on their waste, not only because it saves them money but also because it is beneficial for the environment. After all, we’re all in this together!

If you have any questions about how LACOSTA can help you with your janitorial and waste disposal needs and goals, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us. We are always happy to discuss and answer questions about how our methods can help your business in particular.