Retrofit exit sign bulbs. The EPA's Energy Star program offers information and vendors of energy-efficient alternatives. The modern tube produces 17 percent more light than the old. The new ballast is silent, eliminates any perceptible flicker and uses 75 percent less power. In addition, only half the waste is produced to fulfill the same lighting need.
Reusable dishes are often cost-effective, even when dishwasher installation expense is included.
A decrease in refuse-hauling cost can accompany the change because it can result in such a notable reduction of waste. Use least-waste milk containers. Cardboard milk cartons are made of plastic-coated paperboard and are not readily recyclable. In a landfill, they take up approximately 10 percent of their original volume and take decades to decompose. If a dishwasher is in place to wash the reusable cups that go with serving milk from bulk dispensers, the change to bulk milk reduces a major component of cafeteria waste.