Reducing Business Waste

According to recent studies, about 75 million tonnes of business waste is emitted in the UK alone. This not only impacts the environment but also causes a good dent in the profits. However, the problem becomes more manageable if people and businesses start taking some personal responsibility for reducing waste. This will directly impact the savings and profit margin of the company.

Paper business waste

Paper forms a large part of business waste, but there are ways to reduce it:

• If possible, use email or messaging services instead of printing memos or letters. As well as reducing paper business waste, this will also reduce costs in printer ink, envelopes and postage.
• Use both sides of paper to print information.
• Keep used paper for scrap notes, rather than buying pads of scrap paper.
• Instead of distributing hard copies during training or other such sessions, you can always store manuals and books for people in the computer or on common shared drives. These copies can be made available to the employees.

Reducing wasted energy

A large proportion of business waste is in the form of electricity or energy. Reduce costs and waste with the following tips:

• Make sure that all equipment is turned off completely before you leave your work station or office. According to a study, computers consume about 50% power on standby.
• Though energy efficient lamps and bulbs are expensive, they prove cheaper in the long run and use less energy. This can result in substantial savings.

Other ways to reduce business waste

There are numerous other ways to reduce business waste. Here are just a few ideas for you to try.

Internal documents can be printed in black and white instead of a coloured format as this helps in reducing the cost by at least 50%.

Recycling print cartridges is also another way of reducing office waste. You can use re-usable print cartridges that can be filled with ink time and again.

You can also reduce the usage of paper towels by installing hand dryers and reusable towels.

There are many sites that can help you with used office furniture while setting up your business. Most of these pieces are as good as new and well maintained. Used office furniture not only helps you to decrease costs but also helps in reducing the cutting of the trees.

Use solar powered equipment like geysers for warm water, calculators and flash lights.

Reducing business waste can translate into big savings in the long run and also give you the satisfaction of knowing you're doing your best for the environment.


Find out how The All Clear Company can help with your business waste.