These days plenty of businesses are stepping up their efforts to go green and reduce their impact on the environment. While this is good news, for most businesses, there’s room for improvement when it comes to the way they manage their waste. And one of the easiest and cheapest ways for your business to be more sustainable is through recycling.
A huge amount of waste throw out by businesses is actually recyclable. Recycling business waste can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, save energy and reduce carbon emissions – and thus is well worth doing on any scale. And there are many waste streams that can be recycled that you may not have known about. Try these tips to beef up your recycling efforts and reduce the environmental footprint of your business.
Measure the amount of waste your business produces
Before you move forward, you need to look back and discover exactly what type of waste and how much of it your business is producing, as well as what’s happening to it. This is known as a waste audit. Gaining these insights will let you know exactly what your different waste streams are made up of, the volume of potentially recyclable waste you are throwing away, and other vital waste data.
Consider your options – reduce, reuse or recycle
Once you’ve performed your waste audit and gained some insight into the waste practices of your business, it’s decision time. For each waste stream that is discarded, consider whether you can reduce your use of the relevant product. Can you avoid creating waste in the first place by obtaining products in a different way, by using different products or by changing the way your business operates? If not, can you reuse or recycle it? And if so, how?
You’ll need to do a bit of research here to discover ways of reusing or recycling certain products, and to identify local collectors of recyclable materials, and here at NuGrow we can certainly help you with that. We can advise you on the types of materials that can be diverted from landfill, and show your business ways you can create more value from your waste.
Implement waste recovery methods
Once you have your strategy sorted, put material collection systems in place at your business premises. The type of bins or bulk bins you will need to put in place will depend on the type of waste streams you’re producing. For example, a restaurant might put green organics bins in place to recycle their high volume of food scraps, thus allowing them to be reused. In some cases, you may need to liaise with a specialised collection service to come and collect your waste and take it away for recycling. Make sure different types of bins are clearly labelled with what should go in them, and educate staff on correct bin use. Place the bins where they will be most conveniently located in relation to the appropriate waste stream, as that makes people more likely to use them.
Communicate your recycling goals
To successfully improve your recycling efforts, all employees need to have the motivation to participate. Communicate what your business hopes to achieve by stepping up your waste management procedures, and engage staff members in the process. This will help get staff members on board to support and help with your recycling efforts. As well, provide training for staff so that they are confident in the steps they need to take to improve waste management. It might also help get everyone on board to run a recycling awareness day or week to kick start the initiatives and boost the take-up rate. Your business is much more likely to succeed with your recycling initiatives if all staff members are committed and proactive.
Above all else, monitor your progress and be consistent. If problems or issues arise, deal with them early before they become bigger problems. Let employees know the results of their recycling efforts as well, so they can feel pride and ownership in the whole process. Showcase the progress of your program to your employees, your clients and the public, to strengthen your brand image. Your recycling efforts are not only beneficial for the environment, they may also translate to significant savings for your business.
Get outside help
It’s always wise to harness the power of trained and qualified recycling experts to help your business responsibly and effectively manage key waste streams via recycling solutions (rather than disposal solutions), thus putting value back into our environment. If you need help developing your waste management program, get in contact with NuGrow today. We can help you recycle all types of waste streams from liquid and solid waste to food organics, garden organics and green waste. Plus, we welcome the opportunity to add value to clients’ businesses through expert and targeted waste management advice.
We can help support industries, businesses and councils in their waste diversion strategies, thus potentially creating significant savings in waste levy costs. Our facilities are conveniently located across the state, and offer convenient operating hours, all-weather access, fast unloading and turnaround and the capacity to accept high volumes of waste. We can help create safe and sustainable waste solutions for your business – get in contact today to find out more.