‘ZERO WASTE UNDER THE TABLE’: HOW WE SORT AT ERGOLAIN
The Ergolain group of office and HORECA furniture projects has joined the Vilnius Waste Management Administrator (VASA) initiative “Zero Waste Under the Table” and shares experience with the public and business on how to effectively implement waste sorting skills in the office.
95% of the Lithuanian population sort waste, and more than half of them do so on a regular basis, according to a survey conducted by Baltic Research at the beginning of the year. Waste reduction week is celebrated in Europe every year in the last days of November, with a focus on waste reduction and sorting in all European countries.
Experts from the Ergolain group of companies in the office and HORECA furniture projects advise and assist companies in Lithuania and abroad to set up offices. Sustainability standards, waste sorting, and the implementation of environmentally friendly solutions in day-to-day operations have long been a daily practice of the Ergolain Group. When designing offices, we recommend that customers dispose of rubbish bins at each workplace, and we cite our company's office as an example of such a practice.
For more than a decade, we won't find a trash bin under the employee's desk in the Ergolain office. We dispose all of the waste in three special bins. Understandably, it took time for everyone to form new habits. At first, not all employees were happy when they had to stand up and go to the trash every time they threw it out. However, we no longer imagine that it could be any different and most employees already use sorting practices not only at work but also at home.
Based on many years of practice, we noticed several pros of the sorting skills in the office:
- beautiful view under the work desk;
- we get up from the chair more often, walk around the office, talk to colleagues;
- less work for cleaners;
- less rubbish, for example, when ordering food delivery to the Ergolain office, we order from restaurants whose packaging we can sort.
If you want to live in a cleaner environment, start with the small steps in your company’s office.
JOIN US
VASA is urging companies in the country to abandon individual rubbish bins in their offices and sort waste in common rubbish areas in the office.
'Most office waste, including paper, batteries, food packaging, used pens and ink cartridges, can be recycled. However, if there are no waste sorting bins in the office, everything goes to the same bin, the content of which usually end up in mixed waste containers,' says Justina Prunskienė, the director of VASA.
It is statistically estimated that the average office worker consumes about 10,000 paper sheets a year. Giving up individual rubbish bins would encourage employees to use office supplies and paper more responsibly. It would also contribute to better waste management.
‘Sorting waste is a significant step in protecting the environment - we are saving increasingly dwindling natural resources, reducing landfills, protecting animals and the environment from pollution and the negative effects of waste. In addition, waste sorting reduces the amount of general municipal waste, which in turn reduces the cost of handling it. Sorted recyclable packaging is resurrected and non-recyclable waste is used to generate energy’ explains the head of VASA.
