Incorporating Sustainability Into Your Business Plan

Going green is not just good for the world. It’s good for business, too.

The global COVID pandemic has changed the way people do…well, just about everything.

From fist-bumps and elbow taps replacing handshakes to Zoom, Teams, and Slack virtual conferences replacing in-person meetings, business has changed — in many ways, one could argue, for the better.

For many people, a daily commute has been replaced by remote or hybrid work arrangements. Which has had cascading effects on commercial real estate as business owners and leaders wrestle with the question “If fewer people need to come to the office on a regular basis, do we even need as much office space as we had pre-COVID?”

Regardless of how your company is working in our “new normal,” here are a few ways to incorporate a more sustainable approach to doing business:

Be wiser about e-waste

E-waste, defined by the EPA as “electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life”, is one of the fastest growing waste categories —more than 48 million tons are generated worldwide in a single year.

With computers and other essential business technology, the average “useful life” of a device seems to be roughly 4-5 years. Once you get past that, legacy operating systems tend to go unsupported and/or the hardware is incompatible with new OSs and apps. And of course, the chip speeds or file storage capacities start to become obsolete — they just can’t keep up.

If you’re like most business owners, when this has happened in the past, you’ve probably just erased the hard drives and disposed of the machines (or let them collect dust in a closet somewhere!).

When not disposed of properly, e-waste is incredibly toxic to our environment — that’s why The Junkluggers takes special care with the e-waste we collect to ensure it’s handled responsibly. As part of our commercial junk hauling services, we separate eligible e-waste and bring whatever can’t be donated to facilities who recycle and dispose of components according to strict EPA regulations.

Common examples of e-waste:

• Desktop Computers

• Laptop Computers

• Monitors & Displays

• Projectors

• Printers (Laser & Inkjet) & Scanners

• DVD players, VCRs, & DVRs

• PBX Phone Systems and Desk Phones

• Mobile phones

• Televisions

• Appliances

• Air Conditioning Units

Up-to-date disposal of out-of-date forms

Whether your business has been adversely affected by COVID or not, there’s a good chance you have some forms or stationery that you no longer use or which is obsolete. Like envelopes with an old address or letterhead for employees who are no longer with your company.

When you use The Junkluggers instead of renting a dumpster, we make sure anything that can be recycled will be — safely and securely. After all, it’s part of our mission to minimize what gets added to landfills every year.

Office or rental clean outs

If like many businesses, you’re rethinking your approach to real estate and are considering moving, The Junkluggers can help there too.

For example, if you are downsizing from a large office to a smaller one, The Junkluggers can haul away unwanted furniture. Those beige filing cabinets you were never fond of? We’ll lug ‘em away. Same for the cubicle panels that just won’t fit in your new space.

If you’re in the rental business for residential or commercial property, we can help you do full cleanouts between tenants.

And remember, instead of just throwing everything away, The Junkluggers evaluates all items and will try to reuse, repurpose, recycle, and upcycle before putting anything in a landfill. And maybe the best part is that we do this so you don’t have to! All you have to do is call. The Junkluggers will do the rest — and can handle virtually any junk hauling job.

Don’t care about going green? Your customers do!

According to The Global Sustainability Study*, “across industries and countries, sustainability is a significant purchase criterion.” The same study found that more U.S. consumers rated sustainability as an important purchase consideration than the average around the globe.

One executive cited adds “as expectations around sustainability climb, companies will face significant pressure to prove their sustainability credentials and continue to make it a central part of their value proposition.”

By choosing The Junkluggers instead of traditional junk haulers, you are partnering with a company that has a environmentally friendly mission. Let us help you further your sustainability initiatives.

What’s more, The Junkluggers can act as a “one-stop shop” for eco-friendly junk removal — handling everything from furniture to files to flat screens.