Most business owners used to give little thought to responsible waste management, but now, that’s changing. It’s not just that business owners, themselves, have become more ecologically conscious, although that’s often true. It’s that today’s consumers expect a certain level of environmental consciousness and responsibility from their favorite brands, so taking a sustainable approach to waste management can also help the bottom line.
How to Tell There’s a Problem
It can be hard to tell when it’s time to find new trash and recycling services for your business or to start taking additional steps to reduce waste. The best way to get started is with a full audit of the facility. Try to evaluate all of the different supply chains that eventually become waste.
Sources of waste may include consumables, compostables, recyclables, and unused inventory, plus whatever garbage is produced by the business’s employees and guests. Performing an audit and taking a look at all of the different ways that items end up in the trash can offer a clearer view of not just the scope of the problem but also potential solutions.
Common Forms of Waste Disposal
It used to be the case that just about all of the different types of commercial waste wound up mixed together in landfills. These days, it’s more common to see items wind up in different waste streams depending on what they’re made of and how they could be reused, recycled, or otherwise turned into a new resource. The change in attitude toward waste disposal is very good news given that landfills across the country are filling up at alarming rates.
Common alternatives to landfill disposal in the 21st century include:
Recycling of Goods and Materials
Recycling comes in two forms. The term can refer to either the direct reuse of a product or to the recovery of raw materials from the waste stream. In most cases, downcycling occurs when materials are reclaimed instead of being reused directly.
Incineration of Combustible Waste
Some types of waste can be incinerated in specialized waste wood furnaces or incineration plants. The heat released during the incineration process can then be used to generate heat and electricity, which has led some people to think of the incineration of combustibles as another form of recycling.
Composting of Biodegradable Waste
Organic waste composes the heaviest portion of the modern waste stream, and it is quite costly to remove. Most of the time, all of those biodegradable materials wind up in landfills, mixed with other types of garbage, where they produce methane in potentially dangerous quantities and cannot be reintroduced into the ecosystem.
Composting changes all that by allowing businesses to safely reintroduce food scraps, biodegradable plates, forks, cups, napkins, bags, and certain types of unsold retail goods into the soil to feed crops, lawns, and orchards. Just keep in mind that many of today’s compostable consumer goods must be processed in industrial composting facilities and cannot be simply placed in a compost pile somewhere on the grounds.
Tips for Reducing Waste
If recycling and composting haven’t sufficiently reduced a facility’s waste, there are some other steps that can be taken. Try:
- Reducing packaging for manufacturing plants
Eliminating bottled water
Going paperless
Recycling electronic waste
Placing separate bins in each room
Become an Environmental Steward
Business owners should pay attention to their companies’ environmental footprints. Becoming an environmental steward will help both the local ecosystem and the business’s reputation.