Charlie Harris Health and safety is paramount in the workplace, and this includes office waste management. As we’ll discuss in further detail below, poor waste management can lead to a wide range of issues, including poor air quality, increased allergies, insect infestations, and more. That’s why it’s essential to have a proper waste management system in place, which is backed up by a solid and logical strategy.
The Importance of Waste Management in Offices
Health and safety is paramount in the workplace, and this includes office waste management.
As we’ll discuss in further detail below, poor waste management can lead to a wide range of issues, including poor air quality, increased allergies, insect infestations, and more.
That’s why it’s essential to have a proper waste management system in place, which is backed up by a solid and logical strategy.
In this article, we’ll take you through why waste management is so important in offices, and the impact it can have on your company, your employees, and your clients.
The Appearance of your Office
One of the most noticeable things which everyone notices the moment they step into an office is how clean it is.
You could have the best office design, or the most impressive furniture, or the most exciting wall colours and prints. However, if your office is cluttered or unhygienic, this will be the first thing that people will notice.
This reflects on your business, as your office is a physical representation of your company and what you stand for. That’s why it’s essential to manage your waste properly to ensure this representation is positive.
Having a Hygienic Office
Another thing to consider when it comes to waste management is the hygiene level of your office.
When waste isn’t stored or removed correctly, hygiene issues can arise, including a foul smell, mould, and perhaps even infestations.
All of the above will make your office an unsafe and unhealthy environment for your employees, which in turn will lower productivity, and it could even increase your employee turnover rate.
This is why it’s a good idea to know what you’re doing with your waste, and to have a strategy in place to ensure you’re managing it in the right way.
Team Morale
Leading on from this point, what many employees value the most is a company that respects them and cares about their welfare.
One of the main ways you can prove this to your employees is by ensuring they are safe, healthy and comfortable in their working environment.
By having a good waste management strategy in place in your office, you can ensure that your employees aren’t affected by any health issues as a result of poorly managed waste.
Your office shouldn’t be somewhere your employees dread going every day, and one of the ways you can help ensure this is by implementing a solid waste management strategy.
Employee Productivity and Waste Management
As mentioned above, working in a clean and healthy environment will have a significant impact on the productivity of your employees.
Your team will be more motivated because, when they feel as though their company values them and their welfare, employees tend to work harder.
First Impressions Count
Cleanliness and hygiene is a massive part of what influences peoples’ first impressions of a business, and it could go one of two ways.
If your office is clean, with bins that are used and regularly emptied, this will create a great first impression.
Conversely, if your office is cluttered or dirty, without a waste system in place, this will create a negative first impression.
You always need to make a good first impression, especially for new clients and prospective and new employees, and having a good waste management system in place can help you secure this.
Waste Management and Air Quality
In the UK, there are laws around the quality of the air in your office. Essentially, the air inside your workspace should be as good as - if not better than - the air outside.
When waste isn’t managed properly in offices, this can lead to toxins entering the air and travelling around the office, which can cause a wide range of breathing problems for employees.
Even recyclable goods like boxes and bottles - when they’re left sitting in the office - can gather dust, impacting people with asthma and other breathing problems.
Sustainability and Waste Management
It’s important to keep sustainability in mind when you’re managing the waste in your office, especially if your business focuses on lowering carbon footprints and being as environmentally-friendly as possible.
If this is the case, it’s essential to ensure that your methods of removing waste are sustainable. This involves recycling wherever possible, as well as reusing items.
In addition, if you’re using a company or contractor for waste management and you’re committed to sustainability, it’s a good idea to ensure the people you’re working with share the same values and goals.
Waste Management and Employee Health
As we mentioned above, poor waste management in the office can negatively affect employee health in a number of different ways.
For example, if food waste isn’t dealt with properly, this can lead to mould growing. This can also be the case if the air quality is low in your office, and if there is too much humidity, which also leads to the growth of mould.
This can lead to employees experiencing issues with their breathing and other health complications, which can end up being pretty serious, depending on how long they’ve been exposed to the mould.
That’s why it’s important to deal with all types of waste properly.
Hazards in the Office
Another reason as to why waste management is essential in offices is that, if waste items are left on the floor or in a precarious position, they could be hazardous.
As well as items being left around and becoming a tripping hazard, sometimes, companies don’t know how to dispose of dangerous materials and/or substances.
In these situations, it’s arguably even more important to have a proper waste management system in the office, to ensure anything dangerous is disposed of.
Health and Safety Regulations and Waste Management
As we mentioned above, there are several different health and safety laws and regulations for offices.
In fact, there is a Waste Duty of Care which companies have to other people and the environment, to ensure that all types of waste are dealt with reasonably, so as not to negatively affect employees, clients and members of the public.
The Waste Duty of Care also takes into account sustainability, stating that waste can’t be disposed of or treated harmfully, meaning no fly-tipping and other offences.
These are the rules to keep by in order to ensure your waste management system isn’t detrimental to other humans or the environment.
The Community and Office Waste Management
In many industries, the mark of a successful and trustworthy company - at least historically - is one which is held in good standing by the local community.
This is why it’s important to ensure that your company’s office waste management doesn’t affect anyone negatively.
For example, this means ensuring your premises is clean and tidy, including the outside, and dealing with your waste properly instead of fly-tipping or leaving it in the hands of the community.
One of the ways to connect with the community whilst managing your waste is by offering unused furniture to the community via social media and through other platforms. There are two benefits of this: not only will you win over the community, you’ll also be able to give away waste items without a negative impact on the environment.
Waste Management in Offices and Why it’s Important
In this article, we’ve had a look at some of the reasons as to why waste management in offices is so important.
From employee health and wellbeing to the reduced chance of hazards and more, there are so many different ways in which waste management can help you, your employees, and the environment.