How to Manage Your Business Waste Better
If you’re looking to make your business eco-friendly, then this is the right place for you. If your business doesn’t recycle much, then it just means that you are not in control of your company, at least not as much as you thought you were. “Going green” not only will help you control your company’s “green credentials”, but it will also help you save money.
In this article, you’re about to find out how to reduce business waste and be eco-friendlier overall.
If we’re talking from a cost and environmental perspective, we certainly know that businesses should consider finding new strategies and reduce waste. Why? Because managing waste can reduce worldwide pollution and also impact waste disposal costs for your business.
We don’t need much evidence to notice that our planet is full because of the amount of waste. Poor waste management is what led us to pollute the entire planet. And statistics aren’t showing us any positive results – it seems that we get worse day by day. So, ignoring the signs won’t lead us anywhere. It’s time to take action! Our future depends on how we manage to take care of the planet today. We need to start searching for companies that can handle the waste we produce at work.
Why it’s important for businesses to reduce waste in the first place?
Any business should understand the importance of poor waste management. All industries should become eco-friendly. Read the following plan for a sustainable waste management:
- Recycle absolutely anything
- Produce as little waste as possible
- Get rid of waste in an efficient way
- Avoid throwaway and choose reusable products
Putting all your efforts into developing a wiser waste management not only will benefit your business but the environment, too. Once you will choose to introduce great waste management into your business, many aspects will improve, such as:
- Saving money
- Reduce environmental responsibility for your business
- Control of your waste issues
- Improvement to your business image
- Raised employees moral and environmental consciousness
Any business should deal with the issue of waste. For bigger companies, this can be challenging and time-consuming. Luckily, there are many ways to reduce the amount of costs.
Did you know? 10% of the average businesses each year turnover is spent on waste management.
Luckily, there are many balers and compactors available for rental, so there is no excuse for any business to not consider waste management.
Dispense with plastic water bottles
If we take a closer look at the statistics, ever since plastic was invented, disasters came along with it. Did you know that 17 million barrels of oil are required annually to produce plastic? Once used, billions of plastic bottles never find their way to the recycle bin. And this isn’t happening across the world, is it happening only in the USA.
This can be a disaster for your business, too. How can you stop using plastic water bottles? Well, in the past several years, there has been an increase in awareness regarding the harmful impact plastic has on the environment. Only Americans use an average of 50 billion plastic water bottles/year. And unfortunately, 90% of these plastic bottles are not recycled after they’re used. This means that billions of plastic bottles end up in the landfills and oceans, annually.
There is so much plastic waste in our oceans, that it is predicted that millions of marine animals to be killed by plastic water bottles every year because of plastic ingestion. These environmental effects should be enough for us to consider buying reusable water bottles. Plus, there is another thing that should concern all of us, besides the environmental impact. Do you think your bottled water comes from reliable sources? Most ads for bottled water show us a fresh mountain spring, so it makes it seem like the water is the purer and freshest. Still, the water might come from similar sources, but certainly, it doesn’t come from the mountains.
Go paperless
Your company for sure uses a lot of paper, especially in this digital age. You scan, and scan, and scan everything for security reasons, and turn all your documents securely in the cloud. Do whatever you can to keep everything in a digital form, and reduce your reliance on paper. The more paper you save, the better the environment.
With the advance of technology, which has also improved significantly our lives, it was also a chance for offices to remove paper around. Even though the workplace experience in the office is depending on paper, it really has a negative impact on the environment and should be reduced immediately. Workplace managers who are thinking of reducing their environmental footprint will also make employees’ lives easier and safer.
Avoid single-use plastics
Single-use plastics are used only once before they’re thrown away in the garbage. It may be convenient and easy for you, but you should consider that it creates long-term issues.
Did you know? Plastic takes over 450 years to decompose.
Those billions of plastics are ending up in the ocean and on our plates. It’s important to take a moment and realize that excessive plastic waste has a negative impact on the environment.
Tips for avoiding using single-use plastic:
- Educate yourself (avoid plastic forks, water bottles, straws, etc.)
- Purchase reusable items
- Buy more bulk food
- Replace plastic for glass
Recycling is your 100% responsibility
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to recycle. Recycling can have tons of benefits to the environment, including social and economical advantages. It’s true that humans have a growing appetite for buying new stuff. But if we look at the bigger picture, we will see that a lot of the waste is created by the consumption of other things. So, it’s the moment when we should address the problem differently. Remember these three words: reduce, reuse, recycle. These rules have unimaginable benefits on both the environment and humans.