Keeping your workplace clean & green this festive season.

As the year draws to a close, there’s an unmistakable sense of celebration in the air and for many of us, the holidays are foremost on our minds. In keeping with this festive state of mind, many offices are hauling out the Christmas decorations and planning end-of-year celebrations complete with flashing lights and secret Santa.

This year, CCM’s Marc Du Chenne offers a few tips to create a Christmas atmosphere without making use of plastic that will inevitably end up being discarded and adding to the problem of kilograms of single use plastic polluting the environment. For example, instead of using plastic plants, leaves and mistletoe as well as tinsel and other decorations; candy canes (another item synonymous with Christmas) can be used to hang from the tree; as well as paper and tin foil handmade decorations and centre pieces.

It’s also a good idea to store cardboard gift boxes, foil, ribbon, gift bags and wrapping, which can be recycled and upcycled as opposed to simply throwing them away. Then there’s the inevitable year-end office clean up, once the celebrations are over and staff are ready to take a long-deserved break. Most companies will keep a skeleton team of cleaners onsite, and Du Chenne advises this is a good time for a deep clean of the office while it’s relatively empty.

Areas to concentrate on include kitchens and bathrooms, fridges and microwaves. Office cleaning and sanitising of all surfaces is also recommended. Moreover, to keep the working environment safe, clean and germfree; every employee should be encouraged to do their bit to clean their workspace before they leave for the year; wipe and declutter desks and drawers, ensuring that all mugs, plates, knives, and forks are removed and discarding leftovers from the communal fridge. A thorough year-end clean is the best way to start the New Year right. From all of us here at CCM, have a safe and prosperous festive season