A: Tell me, is it that pesky carcinogenic perc (perchloroethylene), the solvent used in the dry-cleaning process, that troubles you? The swaths of plastic your clothes are dressed in? Or perhaps the left-over clothes hangers? It’s enough to drive a planet- loving employee to extreme measures. But before you use one of those pointless safety pins to attach your resignation letter to your boss’s forehead, there are other options.

Number one: campaign to swap to a green dry-cleaner. It’s not entirely chemical-free, but the method pioneered by GreenEarth uses a less polluting silicon-based solvent (www.greenearth.co.uk for your nearest branch).

As well as boosting your company’s eco credentials — a process known as “green-washing” in the business — you’ll be following in the trail of the film director Stephen Gaghan, who drew attention to the wastefulness of the film industry by going carbon neutral for his film Syriana. He invested money in renewable energy to balance the 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide used in production.

Number two: invest in a steamer — an iron-like appliance but more fun (www.argos.co.uk, from £199). A few blasts of hot air revitalises garments if they’re looking a little shabby. Couple this with a good airing and you’ll be laughing, or your boss will when he spots his reduced dry-cleaning bill.

Failing that, buy a stash of suit covers to give to the dry cleaners so at least the plastic wraps can be avoided. Surplus hangers, meanwhile, can be donated to charity shops. And why not encourage films to embrace the grubby look? It’s popular among normal people. What ever happened to realism?

Q: Not one but two kettles broke in my office this week. What should I do with them?

A: This goes to the heart of a hot green topic: what to do with electronic waste. As chunky TVs and computers are dumped in favour of flat screens and laptops, we face a growing problem of gadget disposal. A new set of European rules, known as the WEEE directive (on waste electrical and electronic equipment) was supposed to be implemented last August forcing those who make and sell electronic goods to be responsible for recycling them.

Several missed deadlines later, anyone with an office breeding broken kettles would be forgiven for wondering what happened — this number of policy reviews and paper work seems simply wasteful.

The Department of Trade and Industry blames the delay on working out who should pay for the system. Retailers, producers or consumers? And how to collect stuff: should we be encouraged to trot back to the retailer, dead kettle in hand, or to a collection site run by the local council? Your options aren’t great. The directive was created because of the inadequate system in place. The Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling’s website (www.icer.org.uk) has a list of companies that deal in electronic items. I tried a couple and found only one that was interested but only if I had industrial quantities of kettles.

I was, however, tipped off by a green-fingered chum who paints old kettles and grows herbs in them. An office herb garden could be just the thing.

Do you have a green dilemma? E-mail it to ecoworrier@thetimes.co.uk

Eco-worrier weblog Spring is late but the new Times Online Eco-worrioer blog is sending out green shoots. If you’re agonising over an aspect of ethical living or have a green tip to share, Anna Shepard will be hosting the site and answering your queries. Get in touch at www.timesonline.co.uk/ecoworrier