As an executive assistant, you’re constantly handling tasks and duties that involve waste generation. Whether it involves printing a series of papers, fetching a coffee, or even turning on a light bulb, there’s a waste value for every action that’s taken in the workplace.
Playing the role of an assistant can be challenging when you’re working in a bustling and demanding environment. After all, executives are usually very busy themselves and they expect you to be on top of everything throughout the day.
While many assistants overlook the importance of office waste reduction, if you make an effort to improve this aspect of your workflow, it will eventually be noticed and appreciated, and it could even lead to a promotion. With that said, here are seven tips you can use to reduce the amount of waste that is being generated at your place of business:
1. Audit Your Facility’s Resource Usage
Conduct a detailed audit into how your place of business is currently using and disposing of waste. Are you using non-recyclable products that could be replaced with recyclable alternatives? Where are your waste bins placed? The goal is to look at the entire supply chain of products that become waste in your office and then take steps to optimize that chain. Conducting an audit and making adjustments to the company’s waste management strategy is a sure-fire way to get noticed as well. If you’re looking for other ways to enhance your workplace reputation, check out these 10 tips & tricks for busy executive assistants. When looking at the list you can see a bunch of apps that can help you organise yourself which can help when conducting audits.
2. Establish a Company Compost
You might be thinking, “really, who has a company compost bin?” Believe it or not, a lot of businesses have started composting to reduce their carbon footprint and keep waste out of landfills. While you’d likely need permission and planning to get started on a small eco project like this, it could be a fun experience to put together a team of employees who can help you set up a composting area on the company’s property.
3. Evaluate and Refine the Use of Packaging
Did you know that roughly one-third of all waste generated in developed countries comes from product packaging? Take a long, hard look at the kind of packaging that your business uses and try to find alternatives that are less pollutive. Are you using disposable boxes that could be replaced with reusable containers? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for packaging, but you should be able to find a few areas that can be improved upon after a thorough audit of your packaging usage.
4. Switch from Bottles to Containers and Cups
The amount of money, fuel, and resources wasted every year on bottled water is absolutely staggering. The petroleum that is used annually to produce and transport bottled water is enough to fuel one million automobiles for an entire year, not to mention the absurd amount of plastic that winds up in landfills and the ocean. Instead of using bottled water, switch to large containers and filters along with reusable or biodegradable cups.
5. Start Using Paperless Processes
Did you know that the average office worker uses more than 10,000 pieces of paper every year? Even more startling is the fact that almost 50% of that paper winds up in a trash bin by the end of the same business day that it’s printed. Consider the benefits of going paperless as an executive assistant and your efficient, waste-reducing practices won’t go unnoticed in the workplace.
6. Measure and Analyze Waste Generation
You can’t really know how much of an impact you’ve had on waste reduction unless you’re actually measuring the results. Keep a comprehensive spreadsheet that accounts for all of the waste that is being generated and how it is being processed. That way, you can create useful reports that serve as a testament to how much progress you’ve made.
7. Organize and Sort Waste Collection
If you’re not already sorting waste into separate bins, now would be a good time to start. Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, can be particularly hazardous to the environment when it’s not disposed of properly.
Reducing Waste is Easy For You and Essential for the Environment
There are an estimated 200-300 million companies operating in the world today, with many of them having physical offices, warehouses, and other business locations. If all of those businesses can minimize their waste generation, that would have a tremendous positive impact on preserving the environment.
Conversely, if so many companies continue to be careless about their waste management strategy, our planet will continue to become more polluted and depleted. Fortunately, reducing the amount of waste you generate at work can be easy once you’ve implemented a comprehensive regimen that covers all of the aspects mentioned above.