3 Easy Tips to Reduce Office Supply Waste & Expenses in Dallas

Ever wonder why you’re always running low on office supplies?

Your office seems to be running low on almost everything; paper, printer ink, pens, paper towels, bathroom supplies, etc.

If you find that your office supplies are constantly running low and your orders to vendors for office supplies and materials seem to steadily rise in price each month, there’s a disconnect somewhere. Waste doesn’t always have to mean trash, and new supplies don’t have to be 100% new.

In 2008, nearly 34 million tons of paper were trashed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What percentage of that figure might be attributed to businesses and commercial entities? What ratio of that number could have been saved and repurposed?

Reduce, recycle, reuse—these core tenants of environmentalism are becoming essential for all types of businesses today—recycling has grown out of the home and joined the workplace. Not only does it bring good public relations, but especially for smaller businesses, reducing office waste saves on pricey expenses, lowers operating or manufacturing costs, and overall overhead.

The green movement in business: saving more than just trees

If you work in at a green retail designer and manufacturer, an eco-conscious downtown collaborative, or maybe even a 100% organic coffee shop, it’s part of the company ethos to reuse old waste materials, either for aesthetic beauty, economic necessity, or a drive to be as green as possible. Artists too, since at least the late 19th century, have been making good on the idea of refashioning trash to form beautiful objects even before this idea had a name.

Reusing things like old pallets, lumber, or plastic bottles-all items that we normally would designate for the trash-are becoming the norm for a growing subset of companies around the world. You don’t have to be a completely sustainable company to gain the same benefits of reducing your facility supply budget-cutting down on valuable resources, saving money, and helping to make your commercial facility and the city encompassing it more green-are all within reach for any business or office.

1. Reduce spending (and employee absenteeism) by using non-toxic, chemical-free green cleaning supplies

Not only are supplies like paper, plastic, and printer ink crucial resources, each of your employees’ time is also a resource-and the most valuable one at that. By ensuring that your janitorial service or commercial cleaner uses only green, chemical-free office cleaning supplies, you can make your stock last longer, cut your budget as green cleaning products are generally less expensive, contain fewer or no harmful antibacterials, and result in a healthier office environment.

Whether you buy your own office cleaning supplies or your commercial cleaning company/janitorial service carries their own—by ensuring greener cleaning chemicals or completely chemical-free green cleaning products are used in your workplace, it has been demonstrated that employees take fewer sick days and productivity is increased.

Traditional cleaning supplies contain toxic chemicals-which still permeate enclosed spaces long after they have been sprayed, wiped and dusted with nightly at your facility-have been known to have an impact on employees with existing health problems such as asthma and can also contribute to the aggravation of seasonal allergies, plus eye, skin, and respiratory irritation and inflammations.

Ask your commercial cleaner or janitorial service to go green

Using green cleaning supplies without harmful chemical additives safeguards you and your co-workers against possible illnesses, health problems, and threatening allergic reactions. Productivity is boosted through this lower absenteeism, and even if your co-workers are the type to work through a bad cold, if anyone is allergic to the traditional cleaning supplies your janitorial service uses, sneezing and coughing doesn’t make for a very comfortable or effective office environment.

If you’re unsure if your commercial cleaning service utilizes green cleaning chemicals or if you know your janitorial service doesn’t, it may be time to switch to a different, more health-oriented, Dallas/Ft. Worth green commercial cleaner.

2. Reuse, conserve what you have

How much paper is sitting in your wastebaskets right now? Reusing those old pieces of paper can be a boon for offices. Try reusing paper at your office with these ideas:

• Format your printer to “fast draft” mode, and use only black ink, when possible.
• Inform everyone at your office to only print exactly what is necessary and to use both sides of a piece of paper wherever possible.
• Reuse old single-sided paper for notes and memos
• Share newsprint and save it for packaging or when moving offices.

These small steps can go a long way in preventing a substantial loss of facility resources and help to unburden the toll on our environment.

Is your Keurig machine the new office watering hole? You know, those little cylindrical plastic cups—which seem to magically disappear by 10:30 in the morning? If you’re buying the traditional single-use K-Cups, for your office Keurig machine K-Cups single-use coffee makers brew, that’s a lot of waste—and a lot of money.

Certainly, Keurig machines and K-Cup coffee is much more expensive than traditional drip brew coffee machines, but on the other hand, it’s hard to beat the convenience of on-demand coffee.

Solution? Invest in few re-usable plastic K-Cup filters, which can be filled with regular ground coffee, and used just like a K-Cup. Not only will your coffee supply last longer, but it will be much cheaper in the long run, since you can buy pre-ground coffee in bulk. And you may even be able to snap a cup to savor for yourself after the morning rush!

3. Recycle

The EPA’s estimate of the 34 million tons of paper thrown away in 2008 accounts for a whopping 31% of all municipal solid waste, with food scraps, and plastics both coming in a close second. Municipal waste is comprised also of metals, yard trimmings, and rubber, leather, and textiles.

The EPA keeps separate statistics on electronic waste, but if that were taken into account here, we would have close to 100 billion tons of waste that could otherwise be reused, recycled into new materials and products, or otherwise diverted from landfills.

How Allied Facility Care can help

Want to know more about how Allied Facility Care can help your company spend less on facility office supplies and get insights on DF/W’s best chemical-free green cleaning supplies?

Contact us at 888-316-3234 to learn more about “the Allied difference“, which sets Allied Facility Care apart from other professional commercial facility cleaners in the DF/W metroplex for its collective expertise, attention to detail, exceptional customer service, 30 years of experience, and a steadfast commitment to creating and maintaining a green, healthy, and productive work environment through each of its services.

Get a free estimate today for Dallas/Fort Worth’s comprehensive green commercial cleaning service by filling out our quick quote form.