Today we will examine 5 benefits of composting at work.
The Office Compost Program is designed to maximize these benefits, allowing business owners to reduce landfill waste and their company’s carbon footprint - contact us today to learn more.
We're going to take a closer look at the benefits of composting at work such as reducing waste in our landfills… So let's dig in!
5 Benefits of Composting at Work
1. Reduce Waste in Landfills
While small private residences have access to formal composting programs through their municipalities, business owners are left to fend for themselves. As a result, large volumes of organic waste generated in offices is discarded into the garbage and sent to landfills.
One of our clients runs a business with 145 employees, who generated 2.3 tons of food waste in a single year! All of that was composted in our Office Compost Program and NOT tossed into the landfill.
Not only do you have to pay to have this waste removed from your office, but it also costs taxpayers to maintain landfills in the area.
Landfills are massive producers of methane, a harmful gas that is rapidly accelerating global climate change.
2. Help Create Cleaner Air
As mentioned above, food waste sent to landfills contributes to the production of methane, a greenhouse gas that is a major factor in global climate change.
Composting at work can help reverse that trend, as outlined in this article from The Washington Post:
“It turns out reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can do to reverse global warming. Project Drawdown’s team of researchers ranked solutions to global warming; to our surprise, we discovered that cutting down on food waste could have nearly the same impact on reducing emissions over the next three decades as onshore wind turbines. More than 70 billion tons of greenhouse gases could be prevented from being released into the atmosphere. It represents one of the greatest possibilities for individuals, companies and communities to contribute to reversing global warming and at the same time feed more people, increase economic benefits and preserve threatened ecosystems.”
Composting at work sends a signal to the community that your business is serious about helping the environment.
3. Improved Employee Morale
Composting at work can significantly boost employee morale. It feels good to help the environment!
Consider this from Entrepreneur.com:
“Over the past ten years, consumers (aka employees) have become more interested in sustainability, more concerned about environmental threats and are more willing to take action and/or direct their dollars in ways that benefit (or don’t harm) the environment. Rates of recycling and composting have consistently been climbing, and people, businesses and governments are working to reduce waste through measures like charging for plastic bags, redistributing food leftovers and biking to work. “
Composting at work unites employees on a common goal, and in the end, everyone feels better about it!
4. Earn Environmental Certification
ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It’s a voluntary initiative that sets standards to be used by any business that wishes to set up, improve, or maintain an environmental management system.
Adopting and maintaining this certification brings with it several benefits:
Improve resource efficiency
Reduce waste
Drive down costs
Provide assurance that environmental impact is being measured
Gain competitive advantage in supply chain design
Increase new business opportunities
Meet legal obligations
Increase stakeholder and customer trust
Improve overall environmental impact
Manage environmental obligations with consistency
Here’s a look at the process:
5. Reduce waste collection fees
The Region of Waterloo does not offer business waste collection.
There are many local commercial haulers who can provide garbage, recycling and organics collection services, all of whom charge for their services.
By composting at work, you reduce waste sent to landfills, and therefore reduce the amount and frequency of collection.
Between helping the environment and reducing those costs, it’s a win-win!
For more on how the Office Compost Program works, click here!
Start Composting At Work Today!
From our inception, we have always been an environmentally responsible company.
We proudly offer our office composting services to businesses across the Waterloo Region, helping businesses make a positive impact on our environment.
What Our Customers Are Saying:
Take steps toward a greener workplace with our Office Compost Program - contact us now!