Taking inventory of the type, amount, and cost of these items will help build awareness and establish a baseline for setting goals. Here are some tools to help you get you started:

• MyPlasticFootprint
• This Tookit includes a worksheet to conduct a trash study to determine type, amount, and source of plastics disposed at your workplace.

Example:

• Reduce purchasing of single-use plastic by X% by 20XX.

Examples:

• Eliminate Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam food packaging.
   

  EPS is non-bio​degradable, difficult to recycle, and often ends up in the environment where it breaks into pieces that are easily ingested by wildlife. Note that a number of local jurisdictions in Maryland have already passed polystyrene bans, but on July 1, 2020, a statewide ban will go into effect prohibiting food service businesses, including restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, food trucks and school cafeterias from using most foam products (cups, plates, bowls and clamshell containers).

• Use alternatives to balloons for promotional events and celebrations.
   

  Deflated balloons often end up on land and in bodies of waters where they are mistaken by wildlife for food. If you do use balloons, be sure to use them only indoors and cut the balloons and strings into pieces before disposing. Note that Queen Anne's County has banned the release of nonbiodegradable (latex and Mylar) helium balloons.

Examples:

• Buy items in bulk and in concentrated form to reduce packaging.
• Use bulk dispensers instead of individual packets or small containers.
• Purchase products in containers that your supplier can take back.
• Communicate wit​h your suppliers to let them know you want packaging that is right-sized, and 100% recyclable (no plastic clamshells and foam peanuts).
• In food service and retail settings, ask customers if they need an item rather than automatically providing it (e.g. straws, stirrers, plastic bags).
  
  Note that Montgomery County requires a 5 cent fee on all plastic shopping bags and in Baltimore City, effective 1/31/21, plastic shopping bags will be banned and a 5 cent fee will be imposed on all other shopping bags (paper and compostable).
• Avoid single-use plastic bottles by installing refilling stations, offering pitchers of water and other beverages at company events, and stock vending machines with cans, which have a higher recycling rate.
• Encourage staff to bring their own cups, plates and utensils to meetings and events.
• Offer price incentives to customers that bring their own cups, plates, utensils and take-away food containers.
• Avoid office products (e.g. folders and report covers) made with plastic.

Examples:

• Stock your employee breakroom with reusable plates, cups, utensils and serviceware.
• Ask your event caterer to use reusable serviceware.​
• Collect and reuse plastic name tag holders.
• If your breakroom has a single-serve coffeemaker, use refillable rather than disposable coffee pods.

• Buy compostable serviceware certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).
  
  Products labeled biodegradable don't always break down readily and typically are not recyclable. When it comes to compostable products, however, you can look for the BPI standard. It's also a good idea to check directly with your composting company to ask about the foodware products they allow. Learn more here about the differences between bio-based, bio-degradable and certified compostable plastics.
• Buy food service items made from plant products (e.g. bagasse. wheat straw, bamboo, wood and paper), which decompose better and faster than compostable plastic.
  
  To calculate costs and savings of switching, use this FoodwareCalculator.
  See lists of alternative foodware products developed by Montgomery County and Annapolis Green.
• Use certified compostable bin liners or no liner at all. Remember that recyclables should be kept loose because the liners tangle in the recycling sorting equipment.
• Look for office supplies made from post-consumer recycled plastic (e.g. pens, clipboards).
• Replace any single-use plastic promotional marketing items with items that have a longer useful life, are consumable, or are made from compostable, recyclable materials.

• Design products to be part of a circular material loop by collaborating with your supply chain on the materials you use and with your community and customers on the development of recovery systems that maximize reuse and recycling. 
• Offer replacement parts so that items may be repaired.
• Offer take backs so that items can be refurbished and resold. 
• Light-weight (reduce) the amount of plastic material used in your products and packaging.
• Design products with resin types that have a strong recyclables market and that can be easily sorted by recycling facilities.  Avoid multi-layered plastic types and certain colors that may be rejected by the scanning equipment at sorting facilities.

• Develop a policy on plastic use and procurement.
  
  See sample policies on disposable products.
• Train staff on your policies and proper disposal of items so that they will be able to answer questions from customers.
• Share your efforts with customers through signage on packaging, product dispensers, at the cash register, near trash bins or wherever your clients and customers will see it.
• Do a full phase-out of single-use plastics and celebrate your achievement.