• Making your office more eco-friendly can be achieved through simple adjustments.
• For example, updating antiquated HVAC systems that don't allow for seasonal fluctuations can save energy.
• Using digital files in lieu of paper memos is also generally safer and more secure.

Can your team make more sustainable choices without giving up in-office necessities? Can sustainable habits actually save you time and money, or is it all a hassle no matter how you slice it? These tips can go beyond simple waste reduction and eco-friendly practices to actually save your company money on recycling costs, simplify waste management, mitigate HVAC costs and so much more.

Tip #1: Go the digital route

Switch from paper documents to electronic and cloud management systems whenever possible. These options can often be more secure, easier to search through and access for remote and off-site workers, and they help reduce the need for physical filing cabinets and archival storage. Additionally, digital file exchange puts less of a burden on recycling and waste disposal efforts, none of which are free in a commercial setting. You can also order 100% recycled paper that is FSC-certified for remaining print-media needs.

Tip #2: Curb plastic promotional items

Limit the amount of cheap plastic promotional items distributed at events. You can also switch to paper-based and biodegradable alternatives for branded swag items like pens, binders and lip balms.

Tip #3: Switch to non-toxic cleaning products

There are now many greener commercial alternatives that you can ask your cleaning company to use instead of traditional chemicals that have been proven to taint water systems and reduce air quality.

Tip #4: Increase your organization's recycling efforts

You can start by providing plenty of clearly labeled bins throughout office spaces. One vendor called TerraCycle offers Zero Waste collection boxes for many standard office items such as batteries, ink cartridges, and presentation materials.

Tip #5: Revamp your HVAC systems

Update heating, cooling, and ventilation systems to optimize energy efficiency. Install timers and motion sensors to limit unnecessary lighting and energy use during low occupancy periods, like the weekends or statutory holidays. Between installing advanced HVAC technology and using it as intended, you can reduce your office's power grid usage as well as its emissions, all while saving the company money in a very real way.

“From cigarette butts to dirty diapers,” Szaky said. The problem with items like gloves and masks is that they can’t be recycled with more traditional items like cans and glass bottles. “It’s not economically profitable for waste management to bother recycling PPE, so it all ends up as garbage. And then unfortunately in a consumer use setting much of it can also end up as litter,” Szaky said. TerraCycle has a process for it. “Suddenly locations that were not using our services before like bars and restaurants and supermarkets...and educational institutions and offices started using TerraCycle to recycle the PPE,” he said. First, it gets collected. Then, it’s sorted. “We then sort out any macro contaminants,” he explained. “Then we take it, amalgamate it into large volumes and in the case of PPE it gets shredded, the plastics get melted into new raw materials.” All of this is done through a high-temperature process that decontaminates, and then the raw materials are sold to manufacturers. Recycling companies all over have seen an increase in PPE. “I have been amazed at how many gloves and masks and PPE-related items you see along streets,” Cory White, the chief commercial officer of Stericycle, said. Stericycle is a waste collection and recycling company. “We have seen a modest increase in the amount of PPE coming from hospitals and doctors' offices,” he said. That’s where most PPE is being used. “Over the course of the first year, we issued out and consumed approximately a million masks,” Matt Putman, the director of supply chain at UCHealth, said. He said they capitalized on recycling guidelines to make sure items that needed to be thrown away were thrown away, while other items were recycled. “We were able to divert a lot of items from landfills and incinerators because of those very careful plans,” he said. While it’s hard to put a number on exactly how much waste we’re talking about, an analysis done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said if every healthcare worker in the U.S. used a new N95 mask for each patient they encountered in the first six months of the pandemic, 7.4 billion masks would be required. “PPE specifically does not render itself very well to recycling,” White said. As we continue to use masks, gloves, and other items, Szaky and Putman said there are ways to be more conscious of your waste. “Try to avoid things that are disposable and not recyclable in any way,” Szaky said. “You can go out and buy masks off of Amazon or other companies to be able to wear on your own and not always buy the consumable disposable product that's out there, so that's what we learned and we’re going to continue to learn,” Putman said.

As the United States turns a corner with the pandemic, workers are being asked to abandon their quarantine bubbles and return to the workplaces they left well over a year ago. However, many are returning to very different office environments as companies trash now unnecessary office equipment in response to either economic-related personnel cuts or employees’ widespread adoption of remote or hybrid schedules, as 44 percent of total U.S. workers are, according to Statista. Just as TerraCycle provided innovative recycling solutions for the surplus of otherwise unrecyclable personal protective equipment (PPE) produced during the pandemic, the international recycling leader is back again with convenient solutions to address this new influx of unwanted office supplies. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes provide a convenient recycling solution for nearly every conceivable piece of office waste, which generally is not recyclable through most towns’ conventional recycling facilities. When placed in high-traffic areas like breakrooms or kitchens, Zero Waste Boxes provide psychic income to eco-minded employees and deliver an environmentally-friendly alternative to landfilling in the form of recycling—all while discouraging clutter throughout any newly renovated office. To recycle common forms of unwanted office supplies, TerraCycle offers the following Zero Waste Boxes:

• Office Supplies Zero Waste Box – to recycle tape dispensers, desk organizers, card and document filers, binders, calendars, labels, staplers, hole punchers, dividers, paper cutters, correction supplies, pens/pencils/markers, fasteners, paper clips, staples, binder clips and sticker and label sheet backing. Not a solution for e-waste like electronic staplers and label making machines.
• Office Separation Zero Waste Box – to recycle art supplies, books and magazines, eye wear, cleaning accessories, fabrics and clothing, interior home furnishings, media storage, office supplies, paper packaging, pet products (non-food), plastic packaging, plastic cards and shipping materials.
• Media Storage Zero Waste Box – To recycle any object or device capable of storing data (ie. audio, video) in analog or digital format including records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs, Blu Ray discs, floppy disks, memory sticks and external hard drives.
• E-Waste Zero Waste Box – To recycle any household or office e-waste including home phones, cell phones, computer cables and accessories, keyboards, VCR/DVD players, hand-held computers, digital music players, pagers, radios, cameras, video recorders, TVs, laptops, desktop computers and monitors, printers and scanners, digital cameras, copiers, typewriters, fax machines, stereos, tuners and turntables and receivers and speakers.

When full, the boxes can be returned to TerraCycle for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling. “No matter if you’re implementing a hybrid schedule or if you’re planning to return to the office in full-force this fall, our workplaces will likely begin to look a lot different compared to how we left them,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “TerraCycle’s goal is to make this transition as easy and as environmentally-friendly as possible by giving your business the power to divert waste from landfills through our turn-key Zero Waste recycling solutions.” TerraCycle works with major manufacturers and retailers to recycle products and packaging that would normally be thrown away. Learn more about TerraCycle and its innovative recycling solutions.

Streamlined user experience and additional features make it simple to implement sustainability solutions

• By Recycling Product News Staff
• August 04, 2021

Recognizing that busy business owners, facilities managers, and contractors may only have a few precious moments to spare for their sustainability programs on a daily basis, TerraCycle Regulated Waste (TCRW), a commercial recycling solution provider that specializes in the collection and repurposing of complex regulated waste streams, has launched a new and improved website to make it easier than ever to establish, implement and meet sustainability targets. In order to facilitate the effective and compliant management of regulated, universal and hazardous waste such as florescent lamps, batteries, aerosols and personal protective equipment, TCRW has implemented enhanced website functionalities for an improved e-comm experience with robust new features. TCRW customers can now enjoy guest checkout and QR code functionality on a new mobile-friendly website for quick, on-the-go recycling access. That, coupled with the new ability to track shipments in real time, ensures that they are never caught without a recycling solution. All of this, packaged in an improved and streamlined user interface, is ready to take the guesswork and headaches out of overseeing a sustainability program of any size. Added features on the new TCRW website include: •  Guest checkout implemented for quick purchases •  QR Code functionality added to EasyPak boxes so team members on the warehouse floor can scan a box with their smartphones and jump to the new website •  optimized for mobile use for on-the-go access •  General streamlining of user interface to ensure the most efficient experience •  Free shipping for all online EasyPak purchases. "TerraCycle Regulated Waste has always been committed to helping businesses meet their sustainability goals efficiently and without any of the guesswork," said Kevin Flynn, Global Vice President of TerraCycle Operations and Director of TerraCycle Regulated Waste. "This website refresh is our way of doubling-down on this commitment as we give our customers new powerful tools to help get the job done." To learn about TerraCycle Regulated Waste, visit the new website at tcrwusa.com.