Return to the Office Offers Fresh Opportunities to Manage Waste

The average office worker has always generated a considerable amount of waste. After all, the 9 to 5 office rule meant that we spent more of our waking hours at the office than at home. This regime came to an abrupt end when the Covid pandemic hit the world almost 2 years ago, sending most, if not all, of these workers home. Businesses everywhere closed their offices and required their workers to carry out their working activities remotely from home. The generation of trash moved from the office to our homes.

But with the economy reopening slowly, more people are required to go back to work and begin operating from the office again.  This offers an ideal opportunity to rethink how to deal with the trash that is generated at work, and how we intend to lessen it. 

What are the main sources of this trash and how can we change our habits regarding the collection and disposal of our trash? Can we even imagine a zero-waste future? Should there be a no return to the old normal but rather a push to do better as far as reducing our waste is concerned?

• Paper and Paper Products

  The largest stream of trash generated in any office is paper and cardboard products. This is in spite of our businesses becoming more digitalized. Pre-covid, an office worker used about 10 000 sheets of paper per year. A staggering statistic from Xerox found that almost half of all printed documents are thrown away on the same day they are printed, while 30% of documents are never even picked up from the printer. This presents a huge opportunity to reduce the paper waste.
  So it is estimated that 70% of the waste generated by offices is paper waste in all its forms. This is definitely an area where huge inroads can be made in reducing paper use and then recycling what is used. 

• Plastic

  Plastic is one of the waste streams that offers businesses scope to manage and cut down on the amount that is used dramatically. Bottles, packaging, and bags all add to this plastic problem. We all know that an office can accumulate a pile of these over time. It has been estimated that the average American uses nearly 160 water bottles per year with many of these being thrown away rather than recycled. Reducing our reliance on single use bottles, containers, and bags by replacing them with reusable water bottles, washable food containers, and bags that can be reused will make a big difference and is something that can be encouraged in the workplace.

• General Waste

  This includes coffee cups, Styrofoam containers, and any plastic wrap that cannot be recycled. It has been estimated that on average, office workers use 500 coffee cups a year. Unfortunately these all find their way into the landfill, adding to the environmental problems associated with the decomposition of these items.
  Glass and aluminum cans, which also fall into this category, can be successfully recycled.

• E-Waste

  This is the fastest growing waste stream in the US. Our businesses need to keep up with the latest technology which means that there is a growing problem of what to do with obsolete electronic equipment. Fortunately the materials used to create these items are recyclable and also valuable so there is an incentive to collect old ones. Most municipalities and local councils have programs to collect these items. Manufacturers of electronics also organize collections through their stores to aid with the recycling of e-waste.

Final Thoughts

With the return of the workforce to their offices the volumes of waste will move back to the work place and will once again need to be collected. There is a rare opportunity that the pandemic has afforded to landlords, tenants, and business decision makers and owners to examine many processes including waste management. It cannot be just business as usual. There needs to be responsible management of our environment.

Employees and workers need to be encouraged to deal effectively with waste and recycling efforts. Little Green Junk is ready to assist with the responsible collection and disposal of any kind of office waste in the York, Lancaster, and Harrisburg area.

Why Use Little Green Junk Company?

Little Green Junk is a licensed, professional company that will remove any of your office trash you need to get rid of. We can assist you with the removal of any items such as e-waste and organic waste and dispose of them responsibly. Our aim is to keep them out of landfills where they will cause lasting damage as they decompose.

Our pledge is to recycle those items that we can, and we only use the landfill as the last resort. We follow the restrictions that are in place as to what can be disposed of in the local landfill. Beware of using rogue companies who may not be so ethical and will litter the environment with your waste.

At Little Green Junk Company York, PA we treat our customers with the respect they deserve, and we are willing to go the extra mile to ensure they are happy with our service.  Once we arrive on site and inspect the extent of the cleanout, we will discuss any changes to be made to the quote. Once we have an agreement on the amount, we will start clearing your trash away. 

We will arrive promptly at the scheduled time and if we are running late, we will communicate with you. Once we have completed the job, we will leave that area clean and tidy. 

We realise that sometimes you need to get rid of your trash in a hurry, so we offer a same day junk removal service, and we can even accommodate your junk removal after hours or over a weekend if that is what you require.

Please call us today on 717 467 0070 when you need a quote for office trash removal. 

Email: inquiries@littlegreenjunk.com

Website: https://littlegreenjunk.com/