Johan

Ten Ways to Cut Down on Plastic in the Workplace

Cutting down on plastics in the workplace is another way to go green and help the environment. Start using the five Rs and you should soon see a great deal less waste.

The five Rs are:

* Reduce
* Reuse
* Recycle
* Refuse plastic
* Raise awareness

Becoming conscious of your own consumer habits can help you cut back, and you can get more creative when it comes to reusing and recycling. Refuse plastic such as plastic shopping bags or straws, and you can not only cut back on your own usage, you can also tell others about your choices to raise awareness in the workplace.

1. Get a Water Filter

Get a water filter for the tap so people don’t feel the need to use individual water bottles. Failing that, get a large water cooler. The large plastic bottles will always go back to be recycled.

2. Assess the Trash in the Office

Suggest to the office manager that they assess what is being thrown away by the company. If everything is getting mixed up (paper, plastic and so on), centrally locate bins for each type of recycling. Have them talk with your trash carting service to make sure the recycling is being handled properly and that you are all using the right kinds of trash bags.

3. Skip the Disposable Cutlery

Use dishes, mugs, and stainless steel utensils instead of plastic or coffee cups.

4. Skip the One-Cup Drinks Machines

The one-cup drinks machines such as Keurig use small plastic pods, leading to a mountain of office waste. There are refillable pods but many are plastic, and the hot water can make the chemicals in the plastic leach into your hot drink. Use a traditional coffee maker with a reusable stainless steel filter, or loose tea and an infuser, to cut down on plastic and paper waste.

5. Keep Paper Straws on Hand

A half billion plastic straws end up littering the planet every day in the US alone. If people really do need a straw, offer them paper ones.

6. Invest in a SodaStream

Many people enjoy soft drinks a couple of times a day. Make your own soda such as seltzer or cola using this reusable system.

7. Give All Employees a Refillable Stainless Steel Water Bottle and a Travel Mug

Many companies customize basic items like stainless steel water bottles and reusable travel mugs. They will charge a reasonable fee per item, and a fee to put your company name, logo and so on onto the items. They are a great perk for the staff, and extras can be used as prizes and gifts.

8. Switch to Paper Bags or Reusable Ones

If you sell items and your customers will be carrying their shopping off the premises with them, use paper bags or reusable cloth ones with your name and information on them.

9. Consider Using a Printer with Refillable Cartridges

Certain printers really drink ink. And with four cartridges per machine for the four colors required, this can add up to a significant amount of plastic waste. Recycle the cartridges through Staples or similar programs. Consider buying ink kits that will allow you to refill the ink.

10. Go Green with Your Shipping

If you have to send out a lot of mail, make sure the contents of your package are packed well with non-plastic materials.

Use these tips to cut down on plastics in the office. If you are not senior enough to implement the strategies yourself, try approaching your manager either individually or as a group.

Spotting and Dealing with Fake Antivirus Messages

One of the most popular online scams in recent years is the sending of fake antivirus messages to people as they are working on their computer. This type of “scareware” claims that your computer has been infected with some sort of malware and you need to take action to get rid of it before it eats your computer alive.

In some cases, the goal is to get you to buy antivirus software from them. This could also be a phishing exercise to get hold of your personal data. In worst-case scenarios, these fake messages are designed to get you to download malware which will harm your computer.

The most obvious solution is to get either Norton or McAfee antivirus software and update it regularly with the most up-to-date protection for the new viruses and so on that are always emerging. It will take time when you first upload the program but once you have, you can set the updates to get uploaded automatically, with the program running in the background so it won’t interfere with your most important tasks.

Even taking these measures, it pays to be vigilant because new threats are happening all the time. There are a few places to watch out for them.

1. Ads

Clicking on harmless-looking ads could end up being your worst nightmare. Avoid flashing ads, and ones that tell you that you have hundreds of viruses. Don’t believe them when they say which type of malware you have. The cybercriminals’ goals are to panic you and get you to do something foolish such as buy something, give away personal data, or download the very malware you are scared of.

2. Pop-Ups

Many browsers suppress pop-ups because they are known to be infected with malware. Or, their messaging is all about malware you supposedly have on your computer.

They can be difficult to get off the screen because there is no X, or the X just produces another pop-up. They will often fill the screen, and prevent you from closing the browser. In some cases they might even warn you not to shut down your computer because of the supposed damage the malware might cause. In many cases, a restart might be just what you need to get rid of the annoying threat.

The messaging will usually emphasize how urgent it is to deal with the threat in the hope you will do something hasty and foolish.

3. System Tray Notifications

These can pop up on the lower right of your screen and be very scary because they look so official. Windows 8 and 10 are most vulnerable to this type of threat. It can be difficult to get the message to go away even when you click the X.

The language will be similar in terms of scare factor and urgency.

What to Do If You Think You Have a Fake Alert

The main thing is not to panic. Don’t do anything it asks. Don’t keep clicking. Read what it says first to determine it is a fake. The software they are trying to sell will usually have a vague name and there will be few details about the benefits of the item. Also look for bad grammar, spelling and punctuation. Don’t start filling out any forms. Never give them credit card data.

Some scammers will pretend it is a request to update your annual Norton or McAfee subscription, but these companies would never approach you in this manner, but rather, via the program interface and/or email.

Go to Google and search for the product name. You will usually find it is a fake and often also discover advice on how to get rid of the inconvenient message.

Once you are sure you know what you are dealing with, close your browser using Control+Alt+Delete, not the X on the ad or the browser.