Businesses in Wales can take a big step towards cutting office waste and saving money - by using a free CD-ROM based toolkit available from Envirowise.
The Green Officiency CD-ROM provides a step-by-step guide to help office-based businesses reduce waste and the use of common resources such as paper, water and energy. A savings calculator establishes just how much an individual company could potentially save – which could be as much as £200 per employee.1
With an estimated 27,484 office workers in Gwynedd2; this means that the area could potentially save as much as £5,496,800 per year by introducing waste reduction methods.
Over one million tonnes of waste is produced by commercial sector businesses in Wales each year, a large proportion of which is generated by offices. About 45 per cent of this waste ends up in landfill sites, while 38 per cent is reused or recycled.3
The Green Officiency toolkit also includes printable posters and presentations that can be used to help managers promote the benefits of improving resource efficiency.
Angela Boffy, Envirowise spokesperson for Wales, said: "Using the Green Officiency CD-ROM toolkit will help Welsh businesses take an important environmental step. Any office-based business can make substantial progress in cuttings costs by improving their resource use and reduce their environmental impact at the same time.
"We also want to stress that becoming more resource efficient need not be a burden for Wales' offices. It is the simple things which make all the difference – from fitting free water-saving 'hippos' into toilet cisterns, to routinely switching off computers at the end of the day. Envirowise experience has shown that simple, good practice measures can cut office equipment energy costs by up to 50 per cent."
Angela continued: "Many of the country's offices will already be regularly recycling common office items, so reducing their waste is the next step. Those that take a lead in lessening their environmental impact stand to make considerable savings - and send out a strong environmental message to their customers and competitors at the same time."
For more information about Green Officiency, and to request a copy of the free CD-ROM toolkit, call Envirowise on 0800 585 794 or visit the Wales Greenofficiency page.
General advice on waste saving can also be found at the Envirowise website.
- Source – Envirowise
- Estimated number of office workers aged 16 + working in different sectors by unitary authority according to Welsh Assembly government statistics
- Source – Environment Agency, Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey 2002/3
- Ends -
Issued on behalf of Envirowise by Harrison Cowley. Media Contacts: Kathryn Squires at Harrison Cowley on 02920 344 717.
Notes to Editors
About Envirowise
Envirowise delivers a valuable programme of confidential advice to UK businesses. This advice enables businesses to improve profitability and reduce environmental impact.
Independent, practical and proven guidance is available through the Envirowise Advice Line, information resources and on site visits* delivered by a national team of expert advisors. Each solution is driven by the specific needs of individual firms, to genuinely improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness. Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save £1 billion.
The Envirowise programme is available to any UK business, completely free of charge. For more information visit the Envirowise wales page or call 0800 585 794.
* Please note that different services are available in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – please contact our Advice Line on 0800 585 794 for more information on whether you are eligible for a site visit.