Have you been thinking about how you can make your workplace more eco-friendly?
Surprisingly, one of the biggest changes you can make is also one of the easiest for staff to adapt to. Trust us, it worked wonders in our office!
In Australia, over 5 million tonnes of food finds its way into landfill each year. Half of all fruits and vegetables are estimated to be wasted every year.
Every morsel that doesn’t go to landfill helps to reduce greenhouse gases. Even better, your own garden can be re-invigorated, making sure nothing is wasted.
Creating a composting habit in your workplace is very rewarding – both for the environment and also for your office plant-mum!
Maybe you’re sick of co-workers leaving their leftovers in the fridge, or maybe you’ve done the math on the coffee grounds piling up each day. Either way, there is a composting solution for every office that can help reduce the amount of food waste.
Step one – Choose your bin.
These range from the old faithful bucket (just make sure it has a lid) to high-tech composting machines that grind your food waste into a fine powder (the SmartCara has been our office saviour for over two years now). Make sure the bin is in an easy-to-reach location in the office kitchen.
Step two – Make a plan for your compost.
You probably have a co-worker who enjoys gardening – they might like to be able to take home free compost for fertilising their plants! This works best if you have a composting machine in the office, or if someone has a composting setup at home.
If you have the space, you can also create an office vegetable garden that will appreciate your compost. You can also promote healthy and carbon-neutral lunches.
If you have nowhere to put the compost, and no-one wanting to take it home, don’t be discouraged! You can arrange for an organic food waste bin collection from your office. There are a number of waste management companies that offer this service, and they turn your food waste into high-quality compost.
Step three – Spread the word!
Make sure you have a chat with your co-workers and get them on board with your composting initiative – teamwork is essential! Talk with them about what can and cannot go into the compost bin, and make sure that everyone feels comfortable to ask questions. Believe me, people always ask questions about what can be composted – especially teabags and other tricky items!
You should encourage an ongoing discussion – so that everyone is committed to improvement.
So, now you’re armed with knowledge of how to set up a composting habit in your office, go and put it into action!
If you’ve got extra tips, or if you’ve set up an office vegetable garden, let us know in the comments.
You can check out the SmartCara here: http://www.zerowastesystems.com.au