In an effort to cut down on the plastic waste we produce in the office, we started having glass bottles of water available to tenants. We bought six to start.

Where seven plastic bottles fit in the refrigerator shelf, now six glass bottles are nestled. And for the first few days, things seem to go well. I had six bottles on the shelf (our major water drinkers were out of the office most of the week).

On Monday morning I opened the refrigerator to see what needed to be stocked.

• Diet Coke, two cans needed
• LaCroix, four cans needed
• Water bottles, three bottles needed

I checked the dish pan where people return coffee cups and glasses. Empty. The weekend custodian had washed all the dishes.

I went in search for the missing three bottles – pretty sure we had the hardest working people in our office if they were here on the weekend drinking water. None of the offices had lonely empty water bottles on their desks.

So where did three bottles just disappear to? Perhaps I would never know.

A quick conference on this development had me labeling the glass bottles – the three we had and another six just purchased and washed, with “please return”. Once that was completed, I turned my attention to other duties.

On Tuesday morning, I washed the coffee cups and a couple water bottles. I opened the cabinet to place a coffee mug on a shelf and there, standing proud and ready for action, were the three missing glass bottles!

It seems the weekend custodian put them in a safe place, washed and dried and ready for filling.

If only the rest of the things on my list could be solved as fast and painless!

Photo by Skitterphoto from Pexels