Affordable Swaps for a Zero Waste Office
IKEA and many other stores sell leather-free swivel chairs and affordable desks made from sustainable wood. Or go to second-hand stores (there are many online) that offer used office furniture, to stop it going to landfill.
Use desk lamps with lifetime guarantees (these prevent light pollution and offer task lights, to help prevent birds flying into windows – also don’t face indoor foliage to outside gardens).
If you have office plants, know pet-toxic houseplants to avoid (sago palm, lilies etc). And remove if hot-desking with others.
You can buy recycled office furniture from Reyooz. 80% of office furniture goes to landfill or is burned, when most is in good condition. You can donate unwanted office furniture to CollectEco, which passes it onto good causes.
Coggins SOS (Preston, the rainiest place in England) can collect and recycle office furniture, to sell on at low-cost to those who need it. If large council offices buy everything new, that’s money that could be spent on creating walkable communities and free social care etc.
And of course recycling has a much lower carbon footprint, and doesn’t chop down more lovely trees! You’ll also save 50% to 80% of costs. And avoid disposal fees at landfill.
Recycled Furniture is Always Better
As well as being cheaper, it avoids huge amounts of waste at landfill. In the UK, offices throw out around 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million chairs each year. The average cost of landfill disposal of such items is £80 to £120 per ton.
So if you have 10 tons of furniture to dispose of, that’s around £1000 easily in costs. Tougher environmental regulations means you may even have to pay more than that.
Visit this company’s learning centre to find out how to refurbish existing furniture, and how to choose sustainable office furniture, on a small budget. You’ll also find free downloads:
- A smart guide to buying refurbished office furniture
- A furniture refurbishment checklist
- How to fill in landfill clearance forms correctly.
A Portable Bamboo Laptop Stand (prevent bad necks!)
If you work from home or on-the-move but don’t have access to a proper desk with ergonomic chair, it’s likely that sometimes you get an achy neck or back, from leaning over at the wrong angles.
Dragonfly Laptop Stand is made from eco-friendly bamboo, and is designed to ensure you sit with your posture in the correct position, so you can work safely without aches and pains. It basically eliminates ‘laptop hunch’ which we all do when we’re working from a sofa, by providing better spinal alignment. And raising your ‘eye to screen’ level.
It’s also idea if you work on a train or a coffee shop, and is perfect for digital nomads. By eliminating the 60-degree neck flex (common with laptop use), this also reduces pressure on cervical vertebrae and shoulder muscles, which causes discomfort when hunched over a computer.
Helps Prevent Laptop Overheating
The Dragonfly stand also improves airflow around your device. This prevents thermal throttling, extends laptop lifespan and can also help to prevent ‘toasted skin syndrome’ if your face gets hot from working on laptops.
Made responsibly by a small European firm, set-up takes seconds. It accommodates most laptops including MacBooks and ThinkPads. It is designed to be compatible with a computer mouse, and is sold in 5 colour options.
It’s not recommended for use on soft surfaces like beds or couches or soft uneven surfaces (it’s not good anyway to use warm laptops on these, as a fire risk due to hot air underneath.
Muggi Office Cup Holders (made from fishing waste)
Muggi makes cup holders sold with an 88-year guarantee! Perfect for offices, they are also good for caravans and boats (sturdy and comfortable, to keep drinks save on choppy waves).
Ghost fishing gear makes up 10% of ocean waste, killing hundreds of thousands of marine creatures. Volunteer to help remove ghost fishing waste.
This simple invention is just great! The inventor has ensured that older and disabled people can use it (including people with cerebral palsy, to avoid dangerous spills).
It’s sold worldwide, and one of those ‘aha’ inventions that could not only help to use up the mountains of collected fishing waste, but keep people safe from burns.
We like Sanctuary Coffee (profits help animal sanctuaries!) NHS says that it’s best to avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing (or no more than 2 cups of weak tea daily – or 1 cup of mild coffee or cola). Also avoid caffeine for certain medical conditions.
Millions of disposable coffee cups are thrown away daily, the paper is lined with microplastics, and littered sweet caramel liquids with caffeine and xylitol can harm dogs and wildlife.
Avoid caffeine for pregnancy and medical conditions. Use a sink strainer to catch coffee grounds (and tea leaves) to prevent them clogging sinks. Just bin grounds, as although a few spent caffeine ones won’t harm (balanced with shredded cardboard to balance acidity), too many could harm compost worms.
Quality Recycling Bins (for businesses & offices)
Red Gorilla Recycling Bins are the quality bin of choice now for small businesses, with new legislation (from 31 March 2025) making firms employing 10 or more staff, responsible for separating waste, for recycling.
Read our post on how to recycle (almost!) everything.
Business with 10 or more staff now need to separate their waste into:
- Paper & Card
- Glass & Metals (including foil)
- Food waste
The same law now applies to non-domestic premises like:
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Nursing Homes
- Places of Worship
- Hotels
Sold in 5 colours, these bins feature clip lids to secure, and are in 3 sizes:
- 30 L
- 50 L
- 80 L
You can also download free recycling labels, to attach. Trade orders are welcome, just open an account.
Businesses are now looking to invest in better recycling bins, and these tick all the boxes:
- Colour codes makes for easy sorting
- They have clip-lids to keep contents secure
- They are weatherproof
- They are easy to clean and rinse with soapy water.
- They are easy to carry (2 simple handles)
- They are resistant to UV rays and frost (made from high-density polyethylene )
- They are easy to store (the cylindrical design lets them be pushed into corners, or under desks or worktops).
- Can be stacked when not in use (ideal for large businesses that have a lot of bins).
If recycled materials are not sorted properly, they often end up mixed on landfills, and some waste (food scraps etc) end up decomposing and running off into surrounding soil.
Decaying waste also releases toxic gases, the whole point of avoiding landfills in the first place.
Anglepoise Desk Lamps (with lifetime guarantees)
Anglepoise is a Portsmouth brand of desk lamps (around since 1932) that are quite pricey, but designed to last forever – indeed, each one is sold with a lifetime guarantee. An ideal investment for your office. Use with energy-efficient light bulbs.
Desk lamps are good for task lighting, especially in the evening with blinds pulled down. Combined near glass, this helps to stop birds flying into windows. Also never display indoor plants, to face outdoor gardens.
The Type 75 is a smart choice if you want a compact, tidy lamp that suits modern desks and daily work. Its footprint is small, yet the reach and articulation are generous, so you can pull the light in close for detail or push it back to wash a wider area. It works well with energy saving LED bulbs.
Care is simple. Wipe the lamp with a soft, dry cloth. If needed, a slightly damp cloth works for tougher marks. Avoid harsh chemicals, abrasives, or solvent cleaners that can damage paint, chrome, or brass detailing. Keep the cable untwisted and check the plug and switch for signs of wear.
