Waste at Work

By Christopher Forestieri

Reading the posts on this blog, I am reminded of the many ways that we can minimize the impact our lifestyles have on the environment. While it’s easy to keep certain principals in mind, I decided to take a look at specifics. That is, what have I done in the last few months to use less and reuse more?

This week, I took a look at the workplace.

It’s easy to fall into habits at work, and not all of them good. For example, I noticed that most of my coworkers drink their morning coffee out of disposable cups. While bringing your own cup seems like a no brainer, it’s easy to put off or forget about.

The same goes for utensils. Those little plastic spoons and forks are easy to grab out of the drawer and throw away when finished. While it was a simple and effortless act, bringing in a mug, a water bottle and a set of dishes has allowed me to reduce my daily waste significantly.

And what about lunch itself? On a busy day, a trip to the drive-thru seems like the simplest way to get a bite to eat, but it has significant drawbacks. For example, if you took the amount of paper and waste that comes with one fast-food meal and multiply it by five, you would be looking at a huge pile of trash.

It’s not only wasteful but it can also be inconvenient. I have found that by making my lunch the night before work, I avoid spending most of my lunch fighting traffic and waiting in line. I also save money.

If you figure that the average fast food meal costs between $5 and $10, one could easily spend $25 to $50 a week on lunch alone. Add in morning coffee and a bagel, and the cost continues to grow. For what you spend eating out, you could nearly buy enough groceries to eat for a week.

The conclusion I have come to, is that the key to wasting less plastic, paper, money and time, is to work towards being self sufficient. I no longer depend on the foam cups or plastic sporks. I avoid the drive-thru when I can and I’m better off for it. I save money, eat healthy and minimize my impact on the environment. And it was easy, I have barely had to put any effort into it.