Plastic pollution (and the impact it’s having on the planet) has featured heavily in the media in recent years. National Geographic once reported that 8 million metric tonnes of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year – the equivalent of a full bag of rubbish ‘for every foot of coastline in the world.’ We’ve all seen the evidence circulating online; sadly, photos of marine life tangled in discarded plastic and videos of coastlines brimming with waste won’t be unfamiliar features in many of our social media feeds.
It’s World Environment Day on 5th June. Although there’s no overnight solution to the problem, we can all play a role in helping to prevent further damage to our environment – including reducing plastic waste in our workplaces. If you want to raise awareness on this issue in your office and begin to make some all-important changes, we’ve listed eight ideas and resources below to help you and your colleagues get started:
Bring people together
With so many reports and news stories on the effects plastic pollution has on the planet, it’s unlikely that you’ll be the only person in your office who’s passionate about making positive changes. Send an email to your colleagues to find out who’s interested in creating a greener office, and gather a team of like-minded people to get things moving.
Get to grips with your recycling scheme
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is a registered charity working with governments, businesses and communities, which aims to ‘accelerate the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy.’ They provide a waste audit guide for businesses, full of facts on what can and can’t be recycled – along with advice on how to set up an effective recycling scheme in your workplace.
If you’ve got a recycling scheme in place, take a closer look at it to make sure your office is recycling as efficiently as possible – and raise any issues or areas for improvement with your organisation.
Avoid bottled water
The NRDC estimates that nearly 20 billion plastic bottles are thrown away every year. If you buy bottled water during your working hours, try carrying a reusable water bottle or opting to use glasses from your office kitchen instead. You could also approach your leaders to ask them to consider water filters or filter taps for your workplace, to replace any bottled water.
Bring a bag
Do you regularly pop out of the office to pick up lunch, or something for dinner for when you get home? If so, consider keeping a reusable bag in your desk drawer. Carrier bags can take between 10 and 20 years to decompose in the sea, and National Geographic once reported that a plastic bag was found at the bottom of the world’s deepest ocean trench.
Ditch disposable cups and cutlery
If your office provides both disposable and non-disposable coffee cups or cutlery, avoid using the plastic that’s on offer. Better still, approach your leaders to find out if the disposable cutlery is really necessary – could they cut it out altogether? If your office doesn’t provide reusable items, consider bringing your own in from home.
Spread the word
If you decide to carry out a plastic audit in your organisation, make sure you share the results with everyone in your workplace. You’ll need to be sure everyone understands what needs to be done to bring about positive change – and your enthusiasm could encourage your colleagues to embrace a new way of doing things. You could also spread the word via social media, to let your customers and associates know about the fantastic changes you’ve got planned.
Get stuck in
The World Environment Day’s Guide for Organisations invites companies to take a hands-on approach when celebrating the event. They suggest finding an area near to your workplace in need of a clean-up – a stretch of coastline, a river or community space, for example – and gathering a team to get rid of any litter. You could organise a similar event with your team, to encourage your colleagues to make your local environment better for everyone – whilst also raising awareness on the issue of plastic pollution.
How will your organisation celebrate World Environment Day? Does your workplace already take measures to reduce waste? We’d love to hear your plans – let us know via Twitter, Facebook or in the comments section below.
