As you might have read, my office recently moved to
a new venue—which means it was time to start afresh. While I was sad to let go of our old space, I've come to love our current location so much. In this one, I finally received a designated desk and was encouraged to decorate the area. To put it simply, I should make myself feel more at home at the office. One of the biggest things for me—in doing so—is to have as many zero waste tools as possible here. It makes me feel really comfortable to know that, even away from home, I am able to keep up with my commitment. Before, I felt a bit too suffocated by the limited space to want to bring anything permanent to the office. Now, I feel much more like I belong. A little disclaimer, though: these aren't necessarily tools that will make your jobs easier, but they will hopefully bring much comfort to you on your daily grind.
Tumblers
Sometimes when we work, we need a little more boost than just a glass of water. For me, it's often a specific type of drinks that I have to purchase at a nearby café or so. Unfortunately, the takeaway container those places provide are often made out of plastic. Having tumblers ready at the office really gives me the freedom to buy whatever beverage I want, without having to resort to using plastic. I've got myself two types of tumblers at the office: a water bottle and a large cup with straw—both made out of stainless steel. The bottle was bought from
Ekko Store, although
Cleanomic also sells them. The cup was bought from
Janji Jiwa—who will give you Rp 2.000,- off your order every time you use it.
Cloth Napkins
For a while, I've been meaning to cut back on tissue paper big time. Handkerchief seems like the best option I've got. However, I'm not entirely sure where to get one—do stores still sell them? Plus, if they do, chances are they will not be sold in sets. A while back, when I found this beautiful set by
Sudi Organic, I was completely hooked. It wasn't until I set out on a company outing to Yogyakarta did I finally get my hands on this beauty. I love their concept of it being a reusable tissue—because I swear that's what it practically is! It was really helpful when I had a persistent cold and for wiping off my whiteboard.
Beeswax Wraps
There are a lot of reasons why beeswax wraps have been on my wishlist for such a long time; one of them is the fact that they're great for buying fried snacks. You know the kind—they're sold in stalls by the side of the streets, with no sophisticated packaging whatsoever. While bringing your lunchbox can be a great option, you know they can be a bit of a hassle to carry around sometimes. At times like that, a beeswax wrap can come in really handy. Not only that, they can also be used to substitute for cling wrap and aluminium foil—both of which are super helpful for everyday needs. This one I also got from
Lasati in Yogyakarta, but the ones from
Boenkus and
Demi Bumi are also great.
Metal Tea Strainer
Okay, if you're a coffee person, I might never know how to relate—because I'm an avid tea person. One of the biggest hurdle for me as a tea drinker is having to resort to teabags, unless I have myself on of these beautiful strainers. We all know those teabags tend to also contain plastic, which is a huge bummer. Having my own tea strainer can give me the freedom to choose loose leaf to brew instead. Also, did you know? Tea leaves that make it to the teabag are of less quality than ones that are loose. Isn't that just a better option to choose? This one my sister bought from IKEA, but you can pretty much get one anywhere, really.
Tote Bags
I don't know about you, but I often like to roam about when I'm at the office. Going to the nearest mini market or stealing time to buy coffee are among some of my favourites activities at work. Whenever that happens, however, I will find my hands a bit full if I don't carry one of these babies about. Trust me, I've been there more times than I care to count. That's why, although tote bags are pretty much useful anywhere, I'm counting it as one of my office essentials. As it's become a trend to have one, you can find this pretty much anywhere—clothing stores, supermarkets, even universities.
When we work, often we would be so focused on the task at hand that we just want things to be so goddamn convenient. Don't get me wrong—convenience is great—but to have it at the cost of our planet is just a tad selfish, don't you think? For me, at least, I don't want to have to choose between the two—if I can have both, why should I? With a few extra steps and/or a few extra tools, we can have our cake and eat it too. Of course, these are just a few items that are specific to the office. You should also check out the items to have when you're out and about—you know, for those after-hours fun.
Let me know how you've been reducing plastic waste at the office!
