This month the leaders of the worlds leading economies met at the G7 summit to discuss the pressing world matters of the COVID-19 health pandemic and climate change. By consensus, they committed to promoting a green revolution to protect our planet by expanding sustainable industries and driving green initiatives in commercial enterprises.
On the home front, recent issues with trash and waste collection problems that have resulted in a public health hazard have shown how important local efforts with regard to recycling and waste management are in the bigger scheme of things.
With these things in mind, businesses both large and small can actually benefit from developing a good waste management plan, as well as contributing to the bigger issue of sustainability and environmental care.
Business in the green era
These days, folks are tending to be more environmentally conscious than ever, and many expect that goods and service providers should share that eco-friendly outlook.
Regardless of the type of industry, commercial operators generate a high degree of waste and, rather than placing a heavy responsibility on council and state waste removal services, they need to consider putting into place an environmental management system that works alongside those services.
All businesses manage trash and recycling to some degree, and a look at a site like recyclingbalers.com can assist in the purchase or upgrade of equipment to take that in-house management to the next level.
The zero waste concept aims to reduce dependence on landfill and use material recovery facilities (recycling) as much as humanly possible. This can mean both reducing the amount of trash produced, as well as effectively managing any wastage from the business process.
Establishing a management plan
If the business doesnt have a formal waste management plan, this is perhaps a good time to put something concrete into effect. Determining just how much waste is created by the business each week is the first step. From there, assess exactly what is being disposed of is it organic (food) waste, paper product, metals and aluminum, oils or hazardous waste? Is there a delegated person(s) responsible for overseeing the plan?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Consider the following three factors:
Reduce: Does the business need to be using as much as it is in the company process? This could include raw materials in a manufacturing process, office consumables such as paper product or gas for vehicles and trucks. Reducing any unnecessary materials and ensuring economy of operation is the key here.
Reuse: Consider anything like obsolete equipment or unused assets and decide whether they can be reused or repurposed rather than being thrown out with the trash and potentially becoming landfill. For example, an old replaced photocopier or telephone system may be welcomed by a local school or community group. Furthermore, there may be tax benefits for donations to some organizations and groups.
Recycle: Put a little more focus on the recycling of items. Is the business recycling everything that it could, or is it throwing out recyclable items with the trash? This not only commits material to landfill unnecessarily, but may also increase costs for trash disposal services.
Involve employees in the business waste management plan and make them aware of what the business is doing. While you recycle your Apple devices, allow your employees to become a part of the movement too. FA green management plan can reap rewards in reduced overall waste costs, and also brand the company as an eco-friendly operation in the eyes of both community and customers.
What could be better than that?
