RECYCLE:
Ok, so this one isn’t about reducing plastic waste. Perhaps it’s not 100% possible to eliminate it completely. Therefore, it’s important to educate and encourage staff to recycle all appropriate materials.

BAN PLASTIC BOTTLES:
Did you know that 1 million plastic bottles are bought worldwide every minute? With plastic bottles being the most common items found globally on beach cleans and causing severe and often fatal harm to our wildlife, I think it’s about time we said hell no to plastic bottles. Provide staff with unlimited filtered tap water.

GIVE OUT REUSABLE MUGS:
Around 2.5bn coffee cups are thrown away every year in the UK alone – that’s seven million a day! Less than 1% of these can be recycled. ^^^ Solution? Provide staff with their very own reusable mug!

SCRAP TEABAGS:
We absolutely love a cup of tea in the UK, according to tea.co.uk we drink 165 million cups daily and 96% of these daily cuppas are brewed from tea bags. ^^^^ Many teabags are sealed with plastic and getting rid of them eventually results in microplastics entering our waterways and ultimately our food chain. So, make a switch to loose leaf tea or use plastic free teabags like Pukka Tea, We Are Tea and Teapigs.

CUT THE CUTLERY:
There’s absolutely no place for single-use plastic cutlery, plates and cups in the workplace. It may be convenient for a few minutes, but they remain in our environment for 100’s of years. They have disastrous consequences for our wildlife, oceans and eco systems. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) have shown there are now 138 pieces on average of food and drink-related waste found on every 100 metres of UK beaches. So cut the cutlery and provide reusables in kitchens & canteens.

BRING BACK THE MILK MAN:
Shun plastic milk cartons and see if you can get your milk delivered in reused / recycled glass bottles. Join the 4% of the British population who still get their milk delivered!

WORK WITH SUPPLIERS:
Work with your suppliers, encourage them too to make plastic-free choices. Ask your suppliers to supply alternative products that reduce plastic waste, ask them to make deliveries with less packaging to reduce waste or switch to a supplier already making efforts to reduce their plastic waste.

BE PROACTIVE:
Engage your colleagues with the issue firsthand by organising a park, river or beach clean. A team clean-up encourages teamwork, it contributes to your businesses plastic reduction efforts as well as doing something of significance for the environment.

Businesses of all sizes are in a good position to make a vast difference when it comes to tackling plastic waste. While personal efforts to reduce plastic waste add up over time, reducing plastic usage in the workplace can result in considerably larger reductions in plastic waste. Businesses have the power to produce a domino effect of positive change among clients, colleagues, suppliers, competitors and the wider community.

SOURCES

^ 10 Facts About Plastic Pollution You Absolutely Need to Know – JUNE 14, 2018 – www.globalcitizen.org ^^ friendsoftheearth.uk ^^^ TEN TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC FOOTPRINT – www.wwf.org.uk ^^^^ www.tea.co.uk ^^^^^ Plastic cutlery blighting Britain’s beaches as pollution rises 10 per cent – Nov 2017 – www.telegraph.co.uk