Small Business Trends

Recycle

• Assemble a Recycling Program - Robert Brady, Lotus Jump

“Ever thought about what happens to all the trash your business generates? The pop cans and paper? Making your business more green can be as simple as putting together a basic recycling program. Even if it’s only a special trash can for paper waste every little bit helps.”

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• Utilize Recycled Ink Cartridges - Lisa Sims, Stretching Your Cash, @bizmoneysaver

“One way to go green in your business is to utilize recycled printer cartridges. Instead of throwing your printer cartridge out when it runs out of toner (or ink), hold on to it. There are recycled printer cartridge stores (and online as well) that will give you a discount on a replacement recycled printer cartridge. Not only are you saving money but also helping to reduce the amount of printer cartridges that end up in landfills across the country.”

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• Small Changes Can Add Up - Joann Sondy

“Greening your business is easy and small things can make a big difference.  Recycle unwanted paper & cardboard, eliminate disposable cups and utensils, purchase recycled printer cartridges and even work from home!”

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• Recycle Paper in Bulk - Nancy, Princeton Cryo

“Don’t trash papers.  Try collecting them and giving them for bulk recycling.”

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• Repurpose Old Business Cards - Shirley George Frazier, Solo Business Marketing, @ShirleyFrazier

“Tips that I gather to create e-books and downloadable reports are written on the back (blank side) of my old business cards.

This is better for me than writing on paper, as I usually misplace the paper before I’m done.

One tip is written on each card, and all cards stay in the original shipping box until I’m ready to compile the eBook or report.”

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• Recycle Office Trash - Louana George, The L Bag

“Recycle everything the city allows: paper, cans, glass, plastic bags, cardboard, plastic bottles. You’ll be surprised at how little trash you make when the intention is to reduce-if you do that you may be able to reduce plastic trash can liners as well.”

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• Use Coffee Grounds for Compost - Erika Kerekes, answers.business.com

“Take the coffee grounds (no doubt your office makes several pounds each day, at least), put them in a large plastic container, and take turns taking them home to fertilize your gardens or add to compost piles.”

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• Donate Used Cell Phones - Kathy Watcke, Infogatherer, @infogatherer

“Collect used cell phones and donate to be reprogrammed for victims of Domestic abuse: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Womens+Commission/Domestic+Violence/Used+cell+phone.htm”

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• Recycle Furniture - Lizette Pirtle, Expansion Expert, @expansionexpert

“I had an old desk that wasn’t in the best of shapes. Instead of buying a new desk and giving this away, I found an artist in town who reclaimed the wood, added metal and created a gorgeous “new” desk for me.

Before you throw out or even give something to Goodwill, ask yourself if there is a way you can use what you have with some modification such as painting it, sanding it, or finding someone who can transform it into something wonderful.”

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• Reuse Packaging - Mrs. Green, My Zero Waste

“My tip is to reuse all packaging that comes into your office. Padded envelopes, bubble wrap, cardboard boxes, mailing tubes and carefully opened envelopes can all be reused. I love tips that save the planet but **save me money too** – it’s makes total business sense.

Each day I carefully slice envelopes and packaging open and store them. When I have some letters or a parcel to send, I select the right packaging from my reuse stash!
It also means I can pass P&P savings on to people who buy things from me! AND it’s so simple that colleagues can be empowered in the process which helps plants seeds about being careful with resources.

I’ve collected so much packaging in the past I’ve had to give it away on Freecycle; it’s amazing what you can collect once you start.”

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• Flatten Boxes for Recycling - Jackie Malcolm

“Take the largest empty box for recycling and unfold the ends to make flat.  Then fold in the flaps on one bottom, flatten all other boxes and insert into the largest pocket box.  Stuff the box full of the other flattened boxes, even folding some to fit.  This is a good and easy way to contain the boxes for recycling.”

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• Reuse Shipping Pallets - Jillian Koeneman, Effect, @effectwebagency

“Utilize reusable shipping containers and pallets instead of disposable ones. If you eliminate 11 wooden pallets from your business you save 1 tree!”

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• Provide Recycling Bins for Each Desk - RJ Cantell, The Home Depot

“Rather than have a trash can at every employee’s desk and only a few centralized recycling bins, every employee here has a recycling bin at their desk and only a few centralized trash cans in break rooms. This makes cleanup faster and more efficient, makes it very easy to recycle, and changes the way employees think about the trash they create.”

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• Recycle Used Paper for Notes - Patti Osterheld, POKO, LLC, @posterheld

“Keep a bin for used computer paper. Use a paper trimmer to cut paper into 3X5 paper size. Keep a stack of these papers at everyone’s desk. This is a great way to recycle paper and save on notepads as well.”

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• Donate Used Magazines - Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D., Flora Brown Associates, @florabrown

“Since I traded in unused airline rewards for magazine subscriptions, my office gets flooded with many wonderful magazines. Once I read through them, I remove my address label and bag them for donating to the shops of my dentist and manicurist. They are grateful for the variety and don’t have to be concerned if folks walk away with them since they’ll get a new batch each month. Everybody wins.”

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• Reuse Manila Folders - Lisa Roberts, Business Rx, LLC, @bizrx

“When using manila folders, for temporary organization of a project or task, write the folder title in pencil.  Once the project is over or the task complete, you can reuse the folder and simply erase the title tab instead of throwing it away.”

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• Freecycle Unwanted Items - Doug DuCap, Hugging the Coast, @huggingthecoast

“List unwanted items for free at your local chapter of Freecycle.org. With 4,812 groups with 6,552,000 members around the world, there’s more than a good chance that there’s a local Freecycle Network in your area.

Usually, people who need those items will be more than happy to meet you at your convenience to pickup those items, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that those items are now in good hands and not going to waste.

Sometimes, those items can end up in the hands of local nonprofits where they’ll help make a large positive difference in your community.”

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• Reuse Shredded Paper - Amanda Stillwagon, My Finds Online, @myfindsonline

“Use all the paper you shred as packaging material.  It makes a great cushion for fragile items and it’s free.”