Most businesses in developed nations have stringent rules and regulations to follow when it comes to disposing of the waste they produce, but because it is not something given much thought, they end up choosing the easiest, but not necessarily the most efficient or cost-effective options. However, considering how your company deals with waste could save you a significant amount of money in both the removal aspects and any reduction strategies you put in place. This post will look at a few strategies that most businesses can develop that should help to simplify the process.
Partner With Local Waste Management Services
When it comes to waste disposal, local is the way to go. It’s not just that it’s nice to support local businesses, but it also makes the process of collecting and rectifying any possible disputes far more manageable than dealing with some massive, faceless multinational corporation. Choosing a local commercial rubbish removal provider will give you the peace of mind that you know where your waste is being disposed of (as in you won’t suddenly find yourself on the receiving end of a court summons because the police found your business address on waste mail that’s been fly-tipped), and you can usually work out a great deal together. Once you’ve found a provider you like, you can usually sit back and allow them to do their job with very minimal input, leaving you free to focus on the business of doing business rather than worrying about what’s going on with your waste.
Choose Suppliers With Sustainable Practices
If there is one thing you don’t want to happen to your waste, it’s for it to end up being disposed of illegally, and, in a way, that will come back to bite you. No sane company wants this, but there are plenty of disreputable waste disposal services out there that would gladly take your money without following the correct procedures vis-a-vis dealing with waste. You should make extra effort to choose a company that has all the relevant and up-to-date permits and licenses and can prove where they take your rubbish to be destroyed. Outside of the legal side of things, it’s also a good idea to choose those who take a more sustainable approach to the job and are able to separate the recyclables from the non-recyclables so that anything that can be reused is put back to good use once again. This isn’t only good for the usual reason, but you can also use it as a PR exercise to boost the eco-credentials of your business.
Regularly Assess Current Waste Management Practices
You will never know what you’re doing right or wrong if you never take any time to measure things. While you don’t need to prioritize this monthly (especially since you likely have plenty of other data sets to analyze to boost revenue), a bi-annual or annual approach will help you keep things on track. Developing a waste audit plan will help you assess what’s happening with your waste and has the added advantage of bringing up any issues costing you money. For instance, if you notice that your paper consumption has risen compared to previous years, you can dig deeper to unearth the cause. Regardless of whether the reason is legitimate, you can use this information to devise ways to reduce it, cutting down on waste and saving your money.
Implement Recycling Programs
Nowadays, there really is no good excuse for having only one large trash container where every item of garbage is chucked into and forgotten about. We all know that certain materials don’t biodegrade and simply add even more to the ever-worsening landfill problem. Instead, you should implement a recycling program throughout your organization that makes it easy for your employees to dispose of things correctly. In order to make sure that everyone understands their responsibility in this regard, it’s also wise to set up a training program to educate your staff.
Educate Employees On Waste Reduction
While almost all employees will let out a large groan at the prospect of yet another addition to the employee handbook that requires more time out of their day that could be better spent on their duties, most will not mind too much if it results in less waste. As long as you frame it in such a way as to establish a desire to help the environment, most will be okay with it. This training ought to consist of what is expected of employees, how to dispose of specific materials, and procedures if bins overflow or guidelines are not being adhered to. Taking this small step can prove incredible at massively reducing the amount of waste you produce and makes the job of the waste disposal people much more manageable.
Encourage Donations Of Unused Items
In some cases, you might be able to donate or give away to Goodwill certain items and things that your business no longer needs. For many companies, there is often excess equipment such as computers, furniture, and more left over after they upgrade. A lot of this older property will be stored and forgotten until it’s so old that it’s no longer feasible or desirable to give away. Consequently, you should look into ways to donate anything that is still in good condition but surplus to requirement. In some cases, you can even claim back some tax relief (but speak to your accounting department to confirm).
Set Measurable Waste Reduction Goals So You Know If You’re On The Right Track
If you want to make sure that you’re seeing actual results from all of these procedures you’re putting in place, you will need to create a set of measurable goals. They must also be realistic enough to be feasible (i.e., it’s not a good idea to try to reduce a massive amount of waste before you’ve even trained your staff). The goals you put in place are up to you, but you should make their measurements a part of the aforementioned audit so that you can check for any areas that could be done with additional help.
By taking a proactive approach to your waste, you can do your part to help alleviate the amount that ultimately ends up at the landfill, but also save a decent amount of money on the process. Once you have set up your waste management procedures, things should tick along with minimal input (unless there is anything that needs remedying).