Allison Besch, DEL Staffer

Allison Besch, DEL Staffer

The DEL office is getting some new digs next month. This move, strangely, has caused me to personally question whether or not I am an ‘environmentalist’.  I recycle, I attempt to compost1, and I try to drive a car with decent gas mileage.  Yet here I stood before a WHOLE filing cabinet of JUNK: old files, with paper clips all over them, in dusty, wrinkled folders, printed on single-sided paper.  Binder clips galore, bins of empty hanging files, stacks of desk organizers, and a whole box dedicated to tape.  I won’t bring up the amount of highlighters and rubber bands. How could I possibly be an environmentalist when every urge in my body wanted me to pick up the whole filing cabinet and shake it out over a dumpster??

Once upon a time, the trash would have probably been my solution—it’s quick, easy, and painless. I have no patience to create a Yard Sale pile, and I can’t compost paper clips.2  Now that I’m a ‘professional environmentalist’, I enlisted the aid of some fantastic university resources and a shredding company .  The idea was to create a tiered system to disburse and re-use as many items as possible before considering the trash.

Tier 1:  Redistribute.  All computers and larger equipment went into the  Duke Surplus pile.  This is a division of the University Procurement department that requires this type of material to re-enter the Duke system (or local schools, if possible).

Tier 2:  Give it away, now.  The Duke Free Store collects all these items for us, and then sets up in the campus center for students, faculty, and staff to go through and take items for free. It’s really a great system, especially on such a large scale as a university.  This bin was SO full, which was a really great sight.

Tier 3:  Re-use or Recycle.  Finally, office paper that still had a blank side is now stacked nicely next to our printer. Sensitive documents will be shredded (and recycled), and most other items filled our (other very large) bin for pickup by Duke Recycles.  We filled one small office can with actual trash. SUCCESS!

The more I thought about what we had set up, the more I realized that a similar system could easily be implemented in any size organization. Perhaps there’s a bin, table, or empty bookshelf in your mail/copy room that could be used as a “Free Store” location? This shift is a little bit of work and a lot of behavior change.  The reward is an immediate reduction in office supply expenses.  Already have a system in place?  Please share it with DEL on Facebook or Twitter! And keep an eye out for the next GreenFocus about our new building!

1. I have never successfully composted anything.

2. Mainly because I can’t compost anything.

 

Written by Leslie Rowe, DEL Staff