Expert Q & A: How to “Green” Your Office

March 27, 2008 By Mary White

Environmental impact is becoming an increasingly important concern around the world. Small business owners can make a positive impact on the environment by implementing sustainable policies and procedures in their places of business. Joe Roberto, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for www.shred-tech.com, shares his insight with American Small Business News Readers.

1. Are there serious environmental consequences associated with throwing away scrap office paper rather than recycling it?

Throwing away scrap office paper exacerbates a waste crisis in the U.S. that grows direr each year.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans contributed about 85 million tons of paper products to the municipal waste stream in 2006.  Unfortunately, this was almost a three-fold increase from 1960. 

Furthermore, the EPA cites that paper and paperboard products occupy the largest fraction of municipal solid waste that end up in landfills.  In the same way that “every vote counts,” every piece of scrap office paper that gets shredded and recycled minimizes our country’s waste crisis. 

2. What types of office items, other than paper, can and should be recycled?

All electronic waste, also known as “e-waste,” should be securely destroyed and recycled.  E-waste includes laptops, hard drives, and mainframe computers, as well as CDs, memory sticks and diskettes.  A local shredding service can destroy all of these items and deliver them to a recycling plant.

3. Are there any legal limitations small business owners need to know about related to disposing of office equipment they no longer need?

Before disposing of equipment, precautions should be taken to ensure confidential data is not hidden inside the equipment.  Remove any memory storage devices and media before   discarding.

4. What do you think are the most important steps businesses can take to make their office environments more environmentally friendly?

There are several ways businesses can create a more environmentally-friendly office without breaking the bank. For example:

• Offer recycling bins for cans, plastic bottles and cardboard.  This waste can be collected and destroyed by a local shredding service and then delivered to a recycling plant.
• Use energy efficient light bulbs that have earned the government’s ENERGY STAR rating.  These light bulbs use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
• Offer reusable alternatives to plastic serving utensils, paper plates, Styrofoam cups, etc.
• Plug computers and other electronic devices into surge protectors and shut off surge protectors at the end of the day.  
• Create a ‘green awareness program’ within your company and ensure it becomes a part of the corporate culture.
• Install a water purification system that eliminates the need to purchase bottled water.
• Develop incentive programs for employees who carpool to work or drive energy-efficient vehicles.

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