How To Keep Your Office Hydrated Without Single-Use Plastic

With more and more businesses embracing a more sustainable and ethical way of working, one of the most important things they can do is to reduce single-use plastic in the workplace. Bringing in sustainable hydration across your business, such as a multi-user water dispenser, is good for the environment while showing you’re taking corporate responsibility and meaningful steps to reduce plastic waste and pollution. 

In this article, we'll take a look at the impact of single-use plastic bottles, check out sustainable alternatives, and offer some actionable steps to put an effective plastic reduction strategy in place to keep your offices or workplace plastic-free.

The impact of single-use plastic bottles

Astonishingly, the UK alone buys 7.7 billion plastic bottles every year – an incredible number, with a high percentage of them adding to the rising plastic waste. These single-use bottles leave a massive environmental footprint, and although many of them are technically recyclable – and many are – way too many of them still end up in landfill sites or as litter. Here are some of the biggest environmental and climate concerns:

• Natural resources: Producing plastic bottles takes a lot of natural resources, including water and fossil fuels. Energy-intensive manufacturing processes also release more CO2 into the atmosphere.
• Waste issues: Millions of plastic bottles still end up in landfills around the world – that’s if they don't find their way into oceans and rivers, causing long-term damage to oceans, rivers, and delicate ecosystems. 
• Recycling difficulties: Although there are ample opportunities to recycle them, fewer than 50% of bottles actually are, thanks to contamination, plastic compatibility, or a lack of dedicated recycling facilities, which only makes the waste issues worse.

To overcome these issues in the long term means reducing our dependence on single-use plastics completely. By putting in sustainable alternatives, your office and employees can do their bit to cut plastic waste while still having access to fully filtered, refreshing drinking water.

Fortunately, the government is doing its bit by committing to reducing plastic waste with single-use plastic bans and restrictions that include bans on drink stirrers, cutlery, and certain food and drink containers, as well as restrictions on straws, cotton buds, and all types of single-use plastic.

Sustainable alternatives for your office

Making the switch to more environmentally friendly office drinking water is easier than some think. All it takes is desire, dedication, determination, and discipline to make it happen. So, from a bottled water cooler or mains-fed water dispenser to filtered water taps, here are some of the best ways to introduce sustainable water options into your business: 

A bottled water cooler

One of the most common water dispensers in the UK, bottled water coolers are portable, lightweight, convenient, and a great way to stay hydrated. Though using 13 or 18.9-litre plastic bottles filled with natural spring water, the bottles themselves are cleaned and sanitised after every use and refilled before being chipped and fully recycled at the end of their life.

A mains-fed water dispenser

Plumbed directly into your mains water supply for a more permanent installation, mains-fed water dispensers are an exceptional way to reduce plastic waste in your office. Giving you a continuous supply of fully filtered water using an advanced filtration system, they’re an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to give staff a convenient way to have cool or ambient water whenever they need it.

A sparkling water dispenser

Taking a plastic-free mains-fed water dispenser one step further, a sparkling water dispenser gives employees an extra treat. By adding a fizzy water alternative alongside the chilled, ambient, and hot water options, staff still get a constant supply of fully filtered water at their convenience, but with an added twist to liven up a refreshing soft drink.

A filtered water tap system

Installing a premium filtered tap water system in your office kitchen is another easy way for employees to drink directly from the tap rather than single-use plastic bottled alternatives. Simple and cost-effective, these systems can be plumbed into your mains water supply to deliver chilled, hot, sparkling water, or mixer tap options. It’s a great way to give office breakrooms or kitchens a boost.  

Using reusable water bottles

Alongside using recyclable paper cups instead of plastic ones, one of the easiest and most impactful ways to reduce plastic waste in your office is by encouraging your employees to use reusable water bottles. With staff having the convenience of an office water dispenser and a funky and sustainable reusable bottle to refill, they’re more likely to ditch all the single-use plastic bottles. 

Making this type of reusable bottle a standard part of your office culture will help cut down your plastic waste dramatically and help promote an eco-positive mindset for environmental responsibility.

Go further with an office plastic reduction strategy

While installing a bottled or mains-fed water dispenser is an important first step, if you’re serious about reducing plastic in your office, having a plastic reduction strategy could have a bigger impact and an even greater long-term effect. Here’s how you can work with your team to take some small actions and big steps towards a plastic-free workplace.

Have an office plastic audit

Before making any sweeping changes, take a 5-day basic plastic audit across your business to see how much plastic waste you really produce. We’re all so used to using single-use plastic in our daily lives that it’s easy to miss it. Look at where these plastics are used most, from food and drinks to general use. Knowing where you can improve will help you develop a targeted strategy that has the biggest impact on reducing plastic waste.

Get everyone involved

Getting your employees on board and involved will be the key to making your efforts to reduce plastic waste a success. People are more likely to get into sustainable habits when they feel personally involved, so let them take the lead on discussions, ideas, and brainstorming.

Set goals

Set some achievable goals like eliminating single-use plastic water bottles or cutlery in the office within six months or installing one or more water dispensers by the end of the year. Giving your team a clear target and timeline will give you the best chance of reducing your plastic use for good.

Keep track of your progress

All your plastic-reduction efforts could be in vain if you don't monitor them. Doing this will help you make improvements or adjustments in the right areas. So get feedback from staff, check your water dispenser usage, and have quarterly updates to stay on track.

Go single-use and plastic-free with Thirsty Work

Reducing single-use plastic in your office is good for the environment, can boost your reputation, and leads to big money savings. By putting in alternatives like a mains-fed water dispenser or a bottled water cooler, encouraging the use of reusable bottles, or installing filtered tap water systems, your business can keep your employees healthy and hydrated all day while rapidly reducing its single-use plastic footprint.

Want to go as plastic-free and sustainable as possible? Talk to our expert Thirsty Work customer service team today to see where you can start. Call them on 01392 877 172 or email hello@thirstywork.com and get your free quote, or start your 10-day free trial to find the right sustainable water dispenser for your office.