Looking out for the environment becomes more important with every passing year. With landfills, pollution, and general toxins at an all-time high, the clock is ticking to protect the planet. In response, many businesses are spearheading the efforts toward sustainability. As the largest contributors to the issue, these companies can have a noteworthy impact on the earth with just a few simple changes in their procedures. If you’re looking to make a difference in your own workplace, this is certainly a great place to start. These are a few easy ways to go green in the office and preserve resources for the future.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

First and foremost, start up a recycling program. Recycling is vital to reusing resources rather than letting them waste away in a landfill. Paper and plastic materials are especially important to recycle as they generate the most pollution during their manufacturing. As such, encouraging your workforce to recycle certain items instead of throwing them away can make a world of difference.

Other recyclables around the office include:

• Clear tape
• Post-it notes
• Dry erased markers
• Pencils

Go Paperless

You can also practice sustainability by going paperless altogether. As previously stated, paper manufacturing is one of the main contributors to pollution and deforestation across the globe. For this reason, cutting paper out of your business practices can preserve thousands of forests and cut down on the emissions in the atmosphere. Best of all, modern technology makes this transition simple for all parties involved.

Buy Used Office Furniture

Another easy way to go green in the office is by buying used office furniture when it’s time to replace your older pieces. While it might seem counter-productive to purchase an older model, the refurbishing process can make these items as good as new. In fact, by adding more padding and giving them a new outward style, there’s hardly a difference between them and brand-new products. Additionally, refurbished furniture helps the environment by diverting waste from landfills and conserving the energy their production would otherwise require.

Purchase Reusable Mugs and Bottles

You can reuse other items around your office as well—like your kitchenware. Using washable water bottles, mugs, and lunch containers also helps reduce the amount of waste in landfills. This is especially impactful since many of these waste substances are non-biodegradable. The more reusable plastic we have in our offices, the less of it we’ll have interfering with the environment.