Look here for ‘green’ tips

December 10: Use the back sides of printer paper waste rather than fresh sheets for personal notes or doodling.

December 3: Avoid wasting plastic trash bags: Ask your maintenance representative not to empty your personal wastebasket until it is full.

November 19: Go by the 50 percent rule: Use one when you’d automatically use two of paper towels, squirts of cleaning product, etc.

November 12: Remind your office residents what they can and cannot recycle.

November 5: Items constructed from multiple recyclable commodities cannot be recycled in individual streams. For example, deconstruct a three-ring binder into metal, plastic and paper and place them in the appropriate containers to be recycled.

October 29: In general, a smaller number on a recyclable plastic is more desirable than a larger one. Although our vendor accepts plastics Nos. 1-7, No. 6 (polystyrene) still is not very recycling friendly. When possible, avoid using polystyrene or Styrofoam containers.

October 22: Print on the back of single-sided paper.

October 15: Before recycling paper, remove the paper clips for reuse.

October 8: Shredding paper helps WUSTL’s recycling efforts. Through the University’s contractor, Shred-it, WUSTL recycles more than 725,000 pounds of paper; this is 125,000 pounds more than WUSTL recycles through its mixed-paper collection.

October 1: Small items like caps and lids can be recycled along with containers, as can Post-its, envelope inserts, staples, clips and labels with paper, so leave them on when recycling.

September 24: Recycle only clean containers. Food and contaminants can affect the quality of recycled plastic by attracting vermin. Rinse containers used for food and drink, or at a minimum, empty liquids and use a napkin to wipe visible food residue.

September 17: Save boxes and reuse them for later projects or packages.

September 10: If you have a question about something being recyclable, e-mail sustainability@wustl.edu.

September 3: Save extra napkins and plastic utensils from catered events to use later.

August 27: Recycle all your paper, plastic bottles, cans, food containers and anything else in the appropriate containers throughout campus.

August 13: Order an appropriate amount of food for office events.

July 16: Bring a reusable cup or water bottle for drinks; use real silverware and plates.

June 11: Reduce work travel by arranging conference and video calls.

May 14: Use mass transit or car pool, bike or walk to get to the office.

May 7: If you need to buy office supplies, purchase recycled-content paper, pens and other necessities. This helps create a market for the things we recycle.

April 30: Skip plastic report covers. Choose paper clips or binder clips instead. Staples are an option, but removable fasteners make paper easier to reuse.

April 23: Make double-sided copies.

April 16: Print only when you need to. Try to use e-mail, digital documents and other nonprinting methods whenever possible. You can turn documents into PDFs by going to the “print” menu and selecting “Adobe PDF” as the printer option.

April 9: When light bulbs need to be replaced, change to compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs.

April 2: If you are going to be out of the office, unplug all appliances, including microwaves, chargers and fridges (please clean the fridge first and leave the door open).

March 26: Check with your office manager to see if, at the end of the day, you can shut your computer down and turn off the power strip.

March 19: Don’t use space heaters. Report heating problems to your office manager.

March 6: Keep the temperature in your office low in the winter and high in the summer. Bring a sweater or extra socks in the winter, and wear light clothes in the summer.

Feb. 26: Turn off lights when you’re not in or when natural light is sufficient.

As part of WUSTL’s commitment to promoting sustainability, the Record will offer, on behalf of the Office of Sustainability, weekly “Green Your Office” tips to promote efficiency and waste reduction at offices on campus. Send your own green office tips to sustainability@wustl.edu.