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There is far more waste with office supplies than necessary so declare a company policy that everyone is to recycle and reuse these purchases. Here are a few of the ways they are needlessly lost.
Areas to look for savings:
- Before sending all older, boxed, documents to an offsite storage warehouse, remove paper clips, binder clips, reusable file folders and anything else that will most likely never be seen again. You will be telling the service to destroy these boxes within 7-10 years so take everything out of them you can use again before shipping them offsite.
- Reuse file folders and adhere blank labels on the tabs for the new labeling.
- Ask personnel to return unused colored markers or pens or pencils anytime they come to request more. These people most likely have other supplies they do not use left in their drawer.
- Assign a person to go to all of the offices to gather up unused supplies. Do this after announcing that all unused office supplies lying in desk drawers are to be turned back in and that everyone is required to participate once a month or quarter.
- When any employee terminates (voluntarily or otherwise), clean out the person’s desk drawers and return all unused office supplies (i.e. pens, pencils, erasers, calculator tape, correction tape, unused file folders of all types). Leave nothing in empty desks that can be used.
- Note excess copy paper and negotiate with the supplier to take back unused reams or cases of 8 ½” X 14” when all that’s actually needed is 8 ½” X 11”. Attempt to do this with anything ordered that was not used. Use these items as bargaining chips to negotiate the next purchase from the vendor. Practice saying this; “You are getting this order on the day you take this back.”
- Assign one person for recycling office supplies and make it pay. Have one person responsible to oversee this program who has the power to grab up unused supplies, remind people to recycle, review office supply orders and to halt these purchases when necessary.
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