Every day, each employee generates pounds of garbage. Now envision that employee working at your company for 6-8 hours per day. Their waste has become your garbage. What’s more, your company is paying to have it hauled away — either to the landfill or to a more environmentally friendly place.
As a result, you’ll have to pay for more resources to replace the ones that were thrown away, such as plastic wrap, printer paper, and food service ware. Employee waste is only the beginning. You’re also collecting all of your customers’, suppliers’, and vendors’ waste.
You’re likely to exchange garbage with anyone with whom you do business. So, how can you manage waste in your small business in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner?
To get you started, here are some waste reduction suggestions.
Do a waste management audit
When it comes to corporate waste management tips, waste audits are at the top of the list. Completing a waste management audit is an excellent method to identify waste-producing sites. Once you’ve pinpointed those areas, you can work to eliminate the waste that’s causing your company to waste time and money.
Invest in dumpster rental
A junk bin rental is the best investment because it eliminates large amounts of rubbish in one fell swoop at a low price with no waiting periods. The extra benefit of renting a dumpster is that it allows you to recycle all eligible waste.
Disposing of rubbish through dumpster rental promotes environmental awareness and allows garbage to be recycled in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Get rid of plastic water bottles
The majority of employees drink water at work, and if each person consumes more than one bottle of water every day, there will be a lot of plastic trash. Instead, install a water filter on your sink faucet or invest in a water cooler.
Have plenty of recycling bins
A recycling container should be placed next to each trash can as a general rule. That includes every break room, conference room, front desk, back desk, cash register, loading dock, and other areas.
When recycling is convenient, people are more than willing to do so. So, make it as easy as possible for yourself, and watch your landfill waste shrink.
Train your employees
Signage teaches, but training helps people internalize what they’ve learned. Assist your staff in embracing and embodying the sustainability goals you’ve set for your company. Provide new employees with information about your company’s waste and recycling policies, as well as the various bins and how to dispose of the most common types of garbage.
Then, during the year, have regular briefings on successes, failures, or new protocols, possibly at every meeting.
Donate unwanted or surplus items
Once a year, cleaning out a warehouse or storage room can cause havoc with your dumpsters. You may find everything here, such as old rolling chairs, desks, storage racks, filing cabinets, mismatched pens, coat hangers, and so on.
Calling local charities to see if they’ll accept your trash as their treasure is a better way to handle a problem like this.
Go paperless
Isn’t it true that people live in a digital age? Why not send invoices electronically? Sending all of your invoices or bills online via soft copies might be a significant step forward in your trash and recycle management. You’ll also find it easier and more convenient to run your business with less paper.
Use real plates and cutlery
Avoiding disposable plates, which generate garbage daily, is one of the most acceptable waste management strategies. To serve food, you should use actual plates and cutlery, which are washable and do not litter.
Recycle electronic equipment
You must implement a thorough recycling program in your office, with electronic equipment recycling being one of your top waste management responsibilities. Old laptops, faulty calculators, out-of-date cell phones, and other e-waste goods should be discarded as soon as possible.
Use eye-catching signage
You should make extensive use of eye-catching signage to urge your personnel to participate in recycling efforts. Signage is an excellent way to remind individuals at work that they should put their trash in the recycle container.
Reusing items
Particular everyday utility objects can be used repeatedly until they no longer serve a purpose. For example, plastic bags can be used in various ways, and the dirt deposited can be washed away easily.
This category also includes glass containers, aluminum foil, and plastic products. Scrap paper can be utilized for various purposes, including writing down to-do lists and phone messages. Both sides of the paper should be used whenever possible.
