As one decade ends and another begins, it could be a good time to think about clearing out old and obsolete technology and other junk around the office. Today, we’re going to look at a few ways that you can upgrade and update your surroundings for the new year.
IMAGE: PEXELS
Old Printed Materials
It’s easy to store and forget about old printed materials. If you have old and outdated flyers, leaflets, or business cards that will never be used again, these should really get recycled. If you changed your pricing, or logo, or address, just get rid of it. You can save a few samples for future reference, but let’s not store rubbish in the office. You can use this as a good time to assess the size of your future print orders as well.
Kitchen Appliances
In smaller offices, many of the kitchen appliances end up being hand-me-downs from employees homes. Recycling appliances is a great thing, but the problem with household items having a second life in an office is that they may get used far more than ever before.
People make tea and coffee constantly at most workplaces. A new toaster, sandwich press or kettle should be up for consideration. If you are using instant coffee, consider finding a company that hires office coffee machines to businesses. The wear on tear on coffee machines in the workplace can be quite extreme, so having one with an ongoing maintenance agreement is essential. It’s much better to ensure the flow of good coffee is constant in your office.
Old Technology
Every time someone gets a new computer or laptop, there always seems to be some kind of issue with old VGA or DVI cables not being compatible with the new computer or monitor. Everything just uses HDMI now. Stock up on HDMI cables and get rid of all your old square flatscreen and CRT monitors.
Also, get rid of any computers with less than 4GB of RAM. That’s hardly enough to browse the internet these days. Get these upgraded and find a local computer recycling drop off point to ensure all the metals in it get recycled appropriately rather than ending up in a landfill.
Reassess Your Recycling Programs
Most offices have a few recycling programs such as paper recycling (including shredding and removal) but how good is your recycling for other products?
Soft plastic recycling bins can be found at most local supermarkets. These bins can be used for recycling plastic bags and other plastic items. All plastic that can be easily scrunched in your hand can be recycled. Find a special location for this bin in the office and put a sign over it that dictates what can and cannot be placed into it.
Printer cartridges can be recycled if they are sent to the right places. Consider having a storage location for old printer cartridges that are sent away later.
If a lot of fresh produce is being chopped up and thrown out, maybe a compost bin could be organized. This could also include any old coffee grounds. If you are using coffee pods in your coffee machine, add a collection bin as there are many coffee pod recycling programs you can contribute to.
In big offices, you might find that some people are not using the recycling bins correctly. Consider adding specific notes that remind people what counts eg. dirty containers cannot go in the recycling bin.
If you do not have an office paper shredding service, who comes and shreds your old documents off-site for you. This will reduce your reliance on your regular recycling bin and also add extra security for disposing of sensitive documents. Be sure to let your team know to make use of this service rather than throwing out paper at their desk bins. If you already use such a service, now would be a good time for a reminder to everyone to make the most of it.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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