Before the Coronavirus Pandemic hit, doing our day job remotely from home was unheard of, unless it was special circumstances. Although some of us may have returned to the office, working from home for most people will become the new office.
Ever since a lockdown was implemented in most parts of the world, waste collectors are overwhelmed with the huge influx of household waste as everyone is quarantining at home. Having so much time at home has definitely made people more aware of just how much waste we produce daily while working from home.
Recycling in Your Home Office
Recycling at home has never been easier, but it is easy for us to lose sight on other ways we can implement it in the home office. Here are some things you can do to efficiently reduce, reuse, and recycle all while working from home.
Re-Use What You Can
Over the past few months, remaining clean and hygienic has become the world's top priority. However, this does not mean we should fall back into bad habits.
It is important that we keep hydrated while we work from home. Instead of using single-use plastic water bottles, clean then and re-use them multiple times to avoid unnecessary waste. you could also purchase a re-usable flask or bottle for your drinks.
Another way to avoid single use plastic is to invest in some re-usable sandwich bags. This takes away the need to use cling-film and throw away containers for your lunches.
Although the amount we can go out is limited, we still may need to go out from time-to-time. When wearing a mask, try to avoid the single use disposable masks. There is already a significant amount of disposal masks in landfill and being washed up on our beaches ever since the pandemic began. To avoid further polluting the oceans and the environment, invest in some reusable cloth masks that can be washed in the washing machine and used multiple times.
Prepare Your Own Food
Working from home comes with the benefit of cutting out commuting journeys, which gives us more time to prepare our own meals. It also means we are less likely to get food on-the-go which is often sold in packaging that can't be recycled.
It is estimated that the UK wastes around 7 million tonnes of food, most of which is edible. When food waste ultimately ends up in landfill, it produces greenhouse gases that have a significant contribution to global warming.
Preparing our own meals allows us to have control over portion sizes, ensuring no food is left over and thrown away. We also have the option of meal prepping and reusing leftovers for meals throughout the week.
Although restaurants offering takeaway services and discounts during the pandemic can make it hard to resist, eating out of our own cupboards will not only reduce unnecessary food waste and packaging, but it tends to be a lot cheaper and healthier too!
Avoid Stockpiling Paper
Before the Coronavirus Pandemic, companies all over the world made the jump to become paperless. Working from home comes with new policies and handbooks that you will need to keep. Try to avoid paper copies and keep electronic versions of documents on your file.
Folders and binders are difficult to recycle since they are made from various materials, so it is a good idea to re-use old ones for your home office. If they are not in good enough condition, you can find creative ways to repurpose them for personal documents or just for decorative effect.
Other office supplies such as ink cartridges and toner cartridges can also be recycled.
By being more aware of the waste we produce can help us adjust our habits to avoid an unnecessary amount of waste.
Why Should You Reduce, Reuse & Recycle?
There are many important benefits of reducing waste, reusing products, and recycling materials. It is seen as the best practice for protecting the environment and saving natural resources. Read more information on why you should reduce, reuse, and recycle.
For larger establishments and companies with a larger waste stream, we offer a range of waste incinerators for materials that cannot be recycled. For more information visit our website.
