Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Re-buy
The University of Florida has set a goal of Zero Waste by 2015. Perhaps, the most important key to achieving this goal is waste reduction. This means re-evaluating our needs and our purchases to ensure we are not generating more waste than necessary. We can consider the full life of products before we purchase; many products will not be able to be repaired, recycled or re-purposed. We all need to think about closing the loop and eliminating waste by reusing and sharing goods as much as possible. Finally, when we make purchases, we can purchase products containing recycled material thereby creating markets for such materials.
Here are just a few of the many ways to reduce, reuse, and rethink your waste:
- UF Surplus Property reduces the unnecessary purchase of electronic equipment and other goods, such as office furniture, by making unwanted, but still usable materials available from the Surplus Warehouse. Reduce your production of electronic waste through preventative maintenance on existing equipment and recirculation of used equipment via the Surplus Property program.
- The UF Purchasing Department now has a Sustainable Purchasing Directive to help you evaluate your goods and services.
- Refill printer toner cartridges and buy remanufactured ones.
- Utilize best practices for reducing envelope waste resulting from inter-departmental mailings. Check out this resource developed by one of our Green Team captains.
- Share printers where practical in order to reduce the need for personal printers and encourage judicious printing.
- Try reducing the number of personal trash cans in shared work spaces. Instead, strategically place larger trash cans in a convenient location and pair these with recycling bins. This arrangement not only encourages recycling, it also reduces the workload for cleaning staff and reduces the number of plastic garbage bags being sent to the landfill.
- Donate It. If you have an item that are not managed by Asset Management/Surplus Property, consider donating it to a local charity , such as Tools for Schools. For everyday office supplies, consider using the "online swap meet," a place for UF staff and faculty to re-purpose unneeded or unwanted office supplies. This site was created by Asset Management in collaboration with Facilities, Planning & Construction and the Office of Sustainability. And, if you aren’t sure what to do with it, download the City of Gainesville’s Recycling Resource with an A-Z guide on where to donate or recycle almost any unwanted item here.
- Use reusable containers for your personal food and beverages. Gator Dining Services now offers a reusable cup for beverages. With the purchase of this cup, you get a discount on all refills.
- For assistance with planning low-waste departmental events, read the Office of Sustainability’s Sustainable Event Planning Guide.
- Work with Environmental Health and Safety to track and safely dispose of all hazardous waste created by your department. The UF ChemSwap provides a list of free research chemicals currently available to laboratories on the UF main campus and at PK Yonge School. The free chemicals are delivered with an MSDS by an EH&S staff member directly to your lab. All the chemicals are in the original, unopened container.
