From Amusing to Advanced: New Ideas for Cleaning

An office fridge can easily be a source of mess and food waste, which can be avoided with a minimum amount of effort. This wastage (when coupled with the energy your office fridge uses) can mean that your humble fridge is not particularly environmentally-friendly. By implementing some basic procedures, you can make your office fridge far more environmentally-friendly.

Energy Efficiency

It's a great start if your office fridge already has a high energy-efficiency rating. While it might not be possible to immediately replace an older fridge with a more energy-efficient model, this should certainly be the goal when the time actually comes to get a new office fridge. Opt for a model without a freezer, thus decreasing its energy usage even further. But is there any way to make your existing office fridge more energy efficient? You should also request that your office cleaners regularly vacuum the coils at the rear of your office fridge. If they become too dusty, this can affect the fridge's ability to cool its interior. This means it can use more energy.

Food Disposal

Perhaps your office fridge has a scheduled day when everything inside is thrown out, or maybe everyone in your office does this of their own accord. But what happens to that food? If it's just thrown into the rubbish bin, then it will probably end up in a landfill. When organic material (such as food) goes to a landfill, it's deprived of oxygen when it's buried. Without oxygen, the decomposition process creates methane. This methane can contaminate the surrounding soil and even make its way to the surface where it escapes into the atmosphere. Of course you don't want your old food to contribute to pollution! Have a dedicated bin for food scraps. It needs to be clearly labelled as such and should have a lid to minimise odours. But what should happen to the contents of this bin?

• Have a word with your office cleaners as they might have the ability to compost this food waste when they are disposing of your office waste.
• You might also want to enquire with your building facilities manager as there might be a composting container on the premises.

Wouldn't it be nice to know that your food scraps are being used to beautify any greenery around your actual building?

By ensuring that the actual unit is as energy efficient as possible, and by being mindful about what happens to the food stored inside, you can be confident that your office fridge is as environmentally-friendly as it can be.