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Businesses resort to recycling when they think about moving towards sustainability. This is because waste is ubiquitous and it can be addressed immediately.
However, the majority of businesses and organizations struggle with developing effective recycling strategies. When executed properly, recycling initiatives help businesses send zero waste to the landfill.
In this article, we briefly lay out 5 tips for lowering business waste and put dollars back in your pocket.
Before anything else, do a waste audit.
A thorough waste audit will give you a clear idea about the types and volume of trash your company produces per week. This insight helps you decide on the ideal waste management policies you can implement. In addition, it will also reveal how much your total spend on trash disposal or energy expenditure.
5 Recycling Best Practices that Bring Down Waste Cost
Upon the accomplishment of your waste audit, you may now identify waste reduction goals. Consider the following sustainable waste disposal techniques below:
- Minimize the use of paper and ink
The bulk of the waste many businesses generate consists of paper and ink. Minimizing the use of these materials is a great start for your waste reduction initiatives.
Try eliminating paper wherever you can. Consider keeping essential documents used across your company online or perhaps on a shared server. Print documents only when it’s necessary. If possible, switch to hand dryers instead of using paper towels.
- Donate useful items
You can also minimize excess trash items by donating items that can still be reused. Your donations will benefit anyone who needs them. Plus, you may get tax incentives.
Grocery stores and restaurants may donate excess perishable food items to food banks or shelters. Hotels can give out soaps, shampoos, toiletries, or skincare items. If your company is getting a new batch of hardware, consider donating your old computers, printers, and the rest of your electronics.
- Use reusable dining wares and utensils in the break room
Invest in a kitchen display system since it helps reduce wastage at your restaurant — diminishes the overall food cost. Replace any items used for eating and drinking with reusable options for a greener break room. You can switch from disposable cups to reusable mugs and water bottles or encourage your staff to use reusable plastic containers when packing their lunch. You can also provide employees with utensils so as to avoid using plastic wares.
- Recycle
Can’t avoid waste? Try recycling. It helps bring down energy use and prevents materials from ending up in landfills/incinerators. Recycling also encourages the conservation of materials and prolongs the life cycle of these materials. Designate bins for recyclable items like paper, glass, plastic.
If you wish to send items to a recycling facility, make sure to sort them out according to material type, size, and shape to make the job easier and faster for conveyors.
- Explore composting
Got too much paper products and food waste? Composting is a great sustainable practice where you can put them to good use. You can set up your own compost in your cafeteria or break room. Use a tightly sealed compost to prevent odour from coming out and keep fruit flies at bay.
Take note of the following items:
- Compostable – Fruits, vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, coffee filters, pasta and rice, eggshells, paper bags, napkins, paper towels, food-soiled paper, pizza boxes
- Non-compostable – Chicken, meat, fish, greasy food waste, dairy products, oil/fat, and fruit peels (as they may contain pesticide residues that may be harmful to the environment)
These are just a few of the many ways you can kickstart sustainability in your business. Promoting green practices not only helps you minimize your waste cost; it also forges a bold commitment to pursue the welfare of the environment, which is a strong force that attracts and engages customers/clients to your business.
