Reduce use of paper - use double-sided printing and copying; avoid unnecessary printing of emails and documents and have a supply of scrap paper (used on one side) for note-taking and message taking.

Re-use or Donate unwanted items. If you are thinking of getting rid of bulky items, furniture or equipment, it may be reusable elsewhere, such as schools, charities or community groups. You can advertise your unwanted items for free at Croydon’s Great Giveaway or email recycling@envibe.co.uk

Compost your garden and food waste. Also, Croydon Council’s ‘Croypost’ is a very competitively priced environmentally friendly soil improver made from local green waste. For more information email recycling@envibe.co.uk

Recycle inkjet printer cartridges. A number of charities and companies collect used inkjet printer cartridges for recycling. There are also kits available that allow you to re-fill your empty inkjet cartridges, which saves you money. For more information email recycling@envibe.co.uk

Recycle your waste paper and glass. Londoners produce enough waste to fill Canary Wharf every ten days.  Croydon council can provide paper, card and glass recycling to local businesses (more info).  For a list of other local provides of a range of recycling services email recycling@envibe.co.uk or click here for our business recycling database (Excel document). Alternatively click here for more information about business recycling.

For more tailored advice contact Envirowise, a national programme that offers free, independent and practical advice to reduce all forms of waste and increase profits. Free services include the Environment and Energy Helpline (0800 585 794), a large range of practical publications specific to your industry and free on site 'Fastrack' visits to help you identify savings.