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Many companies are taking steps to make their office more environmentally friendly, whether it’s to help save the environment or to save on costs, it’s a great idea. The following list includes some easy changes you can implement to make your office more eco-friendly.
Properly dispose of your ink and toner cartridges
Ink and toner cartridges contain toxic ingredients that are serious threats to our environment. You should never throw them out. Find a company within your city that specializes in recycling ink and toner cartridges. You should also take steps to reduce your consumption of ink by printing in black and white and on double sided paper.
Go digital
If your office hasn’t already implemented a paperless policy it is time. This means being conscious of what and how much you are printing. Nothing should be printed if it is not necessary, reducing how much you print will also reduce your office costs. If you need to distribute documents throughout your office, do so digitally.
Use Eco Friendly Products
There is a huge eco-office product market, you will even find products at the big box stores. While green products are generally more expensive than normal products, that will change, as their popularity increases their prices should decrease. Start by identifying the products in your office that could be replaced with non-toxic environmentally friendly options. These products may include 100% recycled paper or earth friendly pens.
Office machines are also becoming more and more eco-friendly as companies are consciously developing their machines with energy and supply conservation in mind. New machines will be the most eco-friendly and choosing a consolidated machine will also reduce your carbon footprint.
Turn off your equipment
If you took a walk around your office at the end of the day to check how many employees had left on their computer, we bet you would be surprised. Saving energy is so easy, just turn everything off. From the lights to your computer, everything should be turned off when it is not in use. Worried you will forget? Set up a timer on your computer so that it shuts down after 30 minutes of not being used and get rid of your screen saver in favour of hibernate or sleep modes.
Share these tips with your co-workers and make sure everyone is on board with moving towards an eco-friendly office environment. If you are in the market for new office equipment download our free buying guides to learn how to buy smart and save money.
