The UK Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan pledges to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. However, many businesses are committed to tackling the issue prior to that timeframe. In the wake of David Attenborough's surprise appearance at Glastonbury festival, where he congratulated the crowd and the organisers for going plastic-free for the first time in the festival’s history, Safestore has compiled a list of 7 ways we can do our bit for the environment in the workplace.

The eye-opening Planet Earth series and the efforts of environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion are creating a larger awareness amongst people and companies of the need to reduce plastic consumption and waste. To further encourage this vital ethos, The Plastic Free Foundation is encouraging everyone to participate in Plastic Free July.

Buckle down on plastic usage in your business

• There are lots of different ways in which your workplace can have a greater impact and reduce plastic waste. Start by encouraging eco-habits in the workplace, such as bringing reusable water bottles and wrap sandwiches in recyclable material or reusable containers and consider offering incentives such as entry into a monthly prize draw to anyone who takes part.
• Ask suppliers to use plastic-free packaging. Find out from your regular suppliers what they can offer by way of alternatives to plastic packaging. If your regular supplier can’t or won’t provide plastic-free alternatives, consider alternative suppliers and make it clear why you’re doing so.
• Use positive signage so that staff and customers don’t forget to bring their own bags or to pop their rubbish in the correct recycling receptacle.

Make your workplace a more eco-friendly space

• Provide fresh water filling stations and encourage staff to use fewer single-use plastics, invest in water coolers in your workplace and ask that staff bring reusable bottles from home to fill up as and when needed.
• Audit your communal kitchen and clear out plastic from your workspace. Many local authorities offer centralised soft plastic recycling points so you can round up the single-use plastics in your kitchen and arrange for a volunteer to take them to be recycled. Replace them with ceramic crockery, steel cutlery, and compostable bin liners.
• Switch to plastic-free tea bags and ceramic mugs in your kitchen to make your tea breaks more eco-friendly. For an even greater impact, swap your plastic milk cartons for glass milk bottles or make milk from tinned, dried milk powder.

Safestore and Plastic Free

We’re pleased to support this cause after receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from our staff across our 118 stores. Some of the steps we’ve taken include:

• Changing all milk deliveries at Head Office to glass bottles.
• Setting ourselves a target to reduce all single-use plastic in our packaging range to 0% by the end of the financial year 2019.

You can find more on Safestore’s pledge and ways to be greener here: https://www.safestore.co.uk/blog/2019/07/7-ways-businesses-can-reduce-the-amount-of-plastic-they-use/ , but please get into contact for more information.