Business Waste Reduction

Businesses like yours are making positive impacts in the community and globally by incorporating waste reduction practices — yours can too!

Your business plays a crucial role in determining how Palo Alto stands up to climate change. Incorporate these waste reduction practices in your business model to cut out greenhouse gases and grow a more sustainable future.

Conduct a zero waste assessment

The first step in reducing waste at your business is to identify and understand where and how you are creating waste. 

• Assess each area of your business by taking inventory of the types and quantities of waste generated at each location
• Examine waste generated in all locations, including breakrooms, individual desks or workstations, bathrooms, etc., to identify excess waste items from your operation
• Identify where to set up proper waste stations and signage to help your establishment sort waste properly to meet City requirements
• Audit contents in the outdoor collection containers to get a holistic view of your waste generation
• Verify your collection containers are right-sized: the correct size containers for the amount of waste your business generates every week. Choosing to decrease the amount of waste your business creates could mean smaller collection containers and lower monthly bills
• Contact GreenWaste of Palo Alto, the City’s contracted waste hauler, for free technical assistance to guide your business through every step

Switch to reusable items

Begin by conducting a comprehensive review of the products purchased from each vendor and identify items meant to be used once before disposal. 

• Examine breakroom items such as plastic utensils and straws, paper plates, and coffee pods. Choose to replace them with reusable utensils and straws, ceramic plates, and bulk coffee grounds
• To encourage the use of reusable items, plan to install a dishwasher or sink in your breakroom
• Instead of buying single-use plastic water bottles, provide a water filter, encourage reusable water bottles, or install a water filling station
• Identify single-use items in categories such as personal protective equipment, tools, and cleaning supplies that can be replaced with reusable alternatives. For example, thick cleaning gloves that can be used many times rather than single-use latex gloves
• Prioritize vendors that offer a range of reusable products
• Communicate your commitment to sustainability with your vendors and employees

Go paperless

Start by identifying key business operations that can transition to electronic formats.

• Create a paperless policy for your business that outlines which items are acceptable for printing
• Set printers to default to “print to PDF” and when printing documents to “print on both sides”
• Print receipts upon request only and offer options to email or text receipts instead
• Set up e-signature documentation
• Request vendors to submit invoices and other communications electronically
• Follow these steps to reduce physical junk mail you receive
• Evaluate available software solutions that allow you to make billing, scheduling, payroll, tax and employee forms, and inventory tracking electronic

Ask vendors to take back packaging

• Examine existing purchasing patterns and determine which items or shipments are creating waste. Look for pallets, cardboard boxes, plastic foam packaging, packaging peanuts, shrink wrap, and other packaging materials when they arrive with orders
• Communicate your commitment to sustainability with your vendors and request they change their shipping methods to reduce the waste or take back packaging they send you
• Prioritize ordering from vendors with established packaging take-back programs
• Transition from the vendors that send you the most packaging

Replace paper towel dispensers

Although paper towels can be composted, eliminating paper towels completely could further reduce waste generated. Replace traditional paper towel dispensers wherever possible. 

• Install air hand dryers, which eliminates the need for paper towels and reduces overall environmental impact
• Switch to washable cloth rags, offering a reusable solution for cleaning

Reward employees for their waste reduction ideas

Create recognition and reward programs to encourage your team to practice waste reduction and explore opportunities!

• Visit different departments, teams, and individuals throughout your business to identify specific ways to reduce waste in their daily operations
• Create tangible incentives for employees to consistently incorporate existing waste reduction practices or identify new ones
• Encourage employees to create a Zero Waste Team and become a Zero Waste Champion to lead waste reduction efforts and answer waste sorting questions
• Regularly acknowledge and celebrate the initiatives taken by your team members to minimize waste during team meetings and performance reviews