Clean and green: ways to reduce use of plastic for businesses

The use of plastic is sometimes convenient; it keeps fragile items safe, can come in the form of a plastic water bottle, and much more. However, this has adverse effects on our environment, given that it is difficult to recycle plastic even with modern technology. 

Among the plastic waste contributors, they are some popular large scale businesses. As business owners, you have a responsibility to your workers and customers, and your environment.

You can have a significant impact by forming eco-friendly habits or culture in your company. To get some ideas, here are some tips for starters:

Shift to using compostable labels

While trying to avoid or reduce the use of plastic, sometimes it is easy to overlook the little things. For instance, a store may use eco-bags; however, the sticker labels of their goods may still be composed of plastics.

Although they are comparatively small, they still get in the way when composting the leftovers from the store-bought fruits and vegetables.

As an alternative, you may partner with companies that make biodegradable labels. These labels are hassle-free because they also decompose; as such, you no longer need to remove them and can throw them together with your leftovers. 

Reduce single-use plastic

Single-use plastic is one of the most significant contributors to our world's pollution, generating about 300 million tons of waste every year. Examples of these are plastic straws, plastic cups, plastic bags, or in layman's terms, plastics that are only used once and are generally not recyclable. 

Just this year, Australia has already introduced the Plastic Reduction Act 2021, which prohibits the selling, supply, or distribution of single-use plastic cutlery and plastic containers. 

Plastic waste is not handled the same around the world, some do it better than others, but generally, it takes up to 500 years for plastic to decompose. Therefore, reducing its single-use would be a good starting point as not to further add to the accumulation of waste and the pollution of our oceans and landfills.

Encourage customers to use reusable bags for shopping

Mother nature is thankful that this is now the standard for most countries worldwide, some even banning single-use plastic bags altogether. On top of having harmful chemicals and causing drainage problems, plastic bags contribute to the destruction of the animals' ecosystems. 

Using reusable bags is good for the environment, but it is also a way for customers to save money because reusable bags tend to be more durable and retain their shape more than plastic bags.

It would also help if you were to incentivise your customers to use reusable bags to get a discount as an alternative if this practice is not yet widespread in your local area.

Avoid overpackaging your products

This is primarily rampant in e-commerce, but this may also happen to businesses and retailers.

Shipping materials such as plastic bags and bubble wrap are essential in keeping the product in good condition during shipment. However, most sellers use excessive packaging materials, contributing significantly to more plastic waste. 

Establish an eco-friendly culture

Establishing how important it is not to waste plastic in your workplace can be an essential step in the right direction. It can be tackled through a speech or a campaign, but the most important thing is to keep them informed.

If your business operates in an office, having water dispensers in your workplace will help the staff keep hydrated and encourage them to bring their tumblers or water bottles. This will make buying water bottles from stores an impractical option.

Having amenities such as microwaves, ovens, or refrigerators will encourage your employees to bring their packed lunch to work.

This reduces plastic waste because while most fast food chains and restaurants package their food in paper or cardboard materials, plastic utensils are still utilised by most restaurants and fast food chains.

Make sure the plastic you use is recyclable

There are just situations wherein you have no choice but to use or buy plastic. Ideally, in this case, you need to make sure that the plastic you choose is the one that can be recycled. PET is the most widely recycled plastic in the world. This type of plastic can be recycled into backpacks, carpets, and clothing made out of fleece. 

Another common type of plastic that is recyclable is HDPE. This type of plastic is more accessible to recycle than most. It can be recycled into furniture and various non-consumable liquids such as detergent.

HDPE is also recycled for plastic products such as lumber, curbs, and benches.

Takeaway

Realistically speaking, the use of plastic as a material cannot be avoided altogether as its alternatives are quite a few. Still, we need to minimise the use of plastic whenever possible. However, when we need to use plastic, opt to use recyclable materials.

As individuals, you need to know how much plastic you use and choose whenever possible. Digital marketing for your local area can also help kickstart your retail stores and businesses into reducing their plastic waste footprint.