Weber Packaging Solutions has made big moves towards sustainability in the last year.
Our first step was to reduce the use of disposable water bottles by our employees. Our old water fountains were replaced with three purification water coolers from Ambius Hydrofresh.
This has not only encouraged our employees to use reusable water bottles, but it’s also promoted drinking lots of water for a healthier diet. A great collaboration by Weber’s Green Team and Wellness Committee!
Our biggest step was reducing our office and label manufacturing waste. You might have seen our announcement in Packaging Digest! We compact the label and office waste and ship the material to Pellet America in Wisconsin where they turn it into pellets for fuel. As we mentioned Packaging Digest, this affects 99% of our waste!
These changes came from our Green Team! In addition to looking for green manufacturing solutions, the Green Team promotes Reduce Reuse Recycle to our employees. Reduce the amount of paper you print, reuse what paper you can as scratch paper and recycle it when it’s no longer usable.
In honor of Earth Day here are some green tips for at home and at the office!
- REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE - “Do I need to use this, can I reuse it afterwards and can it be recycled”
- Pay your bills online - Managing your bills online reduces the paper for the checks and the bills in the mail! You might even be able to manage all of your bills from your bank’s website!
- Use reusable grocery bags - Less than 3% of plastic grocery bags are recycled! Reusable bags last longer than plastic ones even if the plastic bag is reused. It also holds more groceries so you will probably find you have less bags to carry in the house!
- Unplug electronics that aren’t in use - Even if your cellphone isn’t plugged into the charger, it’s still taking up energy. This will save energy and save you money!
- Use less printouts - If It’s not necessary to print, keep it in a file on your computer. Printing less paper saves trees and reduces clutter!
- Set your computer to automatically go to sleep during breaks to cut energy - According to the Sierra Club, this can cut energy use by 70%
- Use the recycling bins at your desk for all paper waste
- Reduce the amount of lunch waste by using a reusable lunch box and containers for the food
- Visit a local Farmers' Market - A farmers' market is a great addition to your regular grocery store trips. This food travels a short distance, is in season and can be fresher!
- Use a reusable mug when you pick up coffee on your way to work - Not only is this reducing waste but some coffee shops will give you a discount for using one!
Do you have any tips to add to this list?