Make a difference at work

So what's the problem?

Over 50 percent of rubbish thrown into landfills in New Zealand is from businesses, including shops, offices and factories.

Like rubbish from your home, much of the rubbish from businesses can be recycled and doesn't need to end up in a landfill - including clean paper and cardboard, some plastics, glass, metals and food scraps.

What can I do about it?

Become a Rubbish Reduction Champion at work and look for ways to reduce rubbish in your office or factory. You could even save your company money by reducing the amount of rubbish taken away.

		Keep a reusable container in your drawer so that if you have leftovers from lunch, you can take them home and add them to the compost. more workplace tips

You can reduce rubbish at your work by:

• reducing the amount of paper you use by sending documents electronically, using double-sided copying and printing or reusing one-sided copies for drafts
• reducing rubbish from lunch packaging by bringing reusable containers from home
• recycling paper, plastic and glass in your office and lunchroom
• organising a recycling collection for your office or factory - check with your local council for options in your area
• setting up a worm bin at work or taking food scraps home for composting.

Check out the following resources for more ideas on making a difference for the environment at work:

• A Guide to Implementing Recycling Systems in Multi-Tenanted Office Buildings
• Businesscare who facilitate environmentally, socially and economically sustainable business throughout New Zealand
• Christchurch City Council's Target Zero
• New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development for information on sustainable development and triple bottom line reporting
• Simply Sustainable - a toolkit to help businesses understand and take on board the opportunities presented by sustainability
• The Waste Exchange Portal - linking to waste exchanges throughout New Zealand, helping business find alternatives to disposal of unwanted materials
• Xtreme Waste collect rubbish and recycling, operate the Raglan Transfer Station and provide advice for local business trying to reduce their rubbish
• Zero Waste.

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• Legal statements

Feedback or questions? Email info@reducerubbish.govt.nz

Supporters of the campaign include the Ministry for the Environment and your regional council.