no cost/easy actions
- Contact Waste Education Services (WES) about how to reduce your waste
- Introduce your intention to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle waste
- Ensure your cleaners know about and follow your waste management policies
- Use kerbside recycling services in Nelson & Tasman
- Use less, more effective and recyclable packaging
- Remove waste bins from under individual desks and have a single collection point
- Send documents electronically and file digitally rather than in filing cabinets where possible
- Aim to print and photocopy less each month, use double-sided where possible and reuse paper that has only been printed on one side - avoid printing out emails
- Put a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker on your letterbox – available from your local council
- Use your own reusable bag or container for purchases and don’t accept plastic bags
- Drink tap water rather than buying bottled water
- Encourage staff to bring their own reusable containers for lunch rather than use disposable ones and implement a ‘pack in – pack out’ policy (all non-recyclable waste brought in must be taken back home for disposal)
- Have a suggestions box for waste reducing ideas
some cost/medium effort actions
- Buy products that are eco-friendly, durable and recyclable
- Select non-bleached paper from sustainable forests
- Contact local recycling service providers to identify those items your business can recycle
- Recycle all printer and toner cartridges, and batteries
- If using a large wheelie bin, swap it for a smaller bin or change collections to fortnightly rather weekly
- Lease rather than purchase products
- Buy products and supplies with less packaging and recyclable packaging
- Reuse items from old packaging e.g. polystyrene beads, boxes, cartons, envelopes, shredded paper
- Enclose a note in your packaging asking recipients to reuse packaging materials
- Choose safer, greener cleaning products that have less impact on waste/ground water systems
- Provide a bokashi system at the office for staff to recycle their food scraps
- Attend a free Council ‘Create Your Own Eden’ workshop on composting and/or growing food
more cost/more effort actions
- Develop and implement a sustainable supply chain procurement policy with an emphasis on prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle
- Place recycling stations on each floor and/or in every department
- Pass on any electronic equipment , which can be reused to other organizations
- Set up a recycling system that meets the needs of your business
- Aim to be a zero-waste business
- Label product components so customers know what is recyclable
- Where appropriate provide directions on environmentally approved disposal methods
- Consider obtaining a carbon zero or carbon neutral accreditation
- Minimise the use of hazardous substances
- Take garden waste to the Council’s greenwaste hopper at the Transfer Station