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Business owners know that waste means downtime and loss of revenue. Whether it’s wasted time or wasted resources, any kind of waste affects your bottom line. To stay on top of things, you need to consider how you can reduce waste and improve your waste management overall. To support your decision making, try taking into account these eight solutions.
- Waste Management Software
First up, to improve your waste management, what you need is the right software. Depending on which type of company you run, some options will be better than others. For some starting-point ideas, check out these two:
- Waste Logics: Waste Logics is simple to use waste management tool, loaded with sophisticated features. Using WL, you can monitor progress, create bookings, offer excellent customer service, and assess company performance. It’s a fully flexible tool which allows you to manage all your data on the go. Waste Logics can help you to reduce risk, access insights, boost profits and save money.
- Re-TRAC Connect: This software tool was designed to improve your recycling and waste programs. No matter which type of recycling program you currently use Re-TRAC can support you.
- Regular Waste Audits
A waste audit is essentially a survey of an organization’s waste stream. Waste auditors inspect waste and then analyze the related data. The idea is to determine what’s being thrown out, recycled, or otherwise disposed of. A waste auditor will collect data such as the type of waste, the volume, and the weight. By identifying what you are throwing away, and how, a waste audit can conclude the exact value which you are losing.
A waste audit can determine the weak points in your waste management strategy, saving you money. An audit can also ensure that you meet the correct certification standards. To afford you peace of mind and improve your waste strategies ongoing, an audit is very useful.
- Waste Reduction Roadmap
Producing less waste, to begin with, is the key goal of any waste management strategy. To do this, you need to create a clear waste reduction roadmap. To reduce the amount of waste that you produce, it can be helpful to use lean principles. Lean focuses on preventing waste across seven different areas. The areas include over-processing, overproduction, waiting, motion, inventory, transportation, and defects.
Consider how you can create less waste when using general items, whether it’s paper or coffee cups. Do away with ‘single-use’ items as much as possible and create policies which limit the usage of plastics. Re-use should be a key part of your waste strategy; all items should be re-used as many times as appropriate.
- Eco-Friendly Applications
To support your waste reduction strategies, the following eco-friendly business applications may come in handy.
- iRecycle: The iRecycle app can support companies to search for recycling opportunities, recycling centres and general guidance. Simply input the items that you need to recycle and receive the correct regulations and advice. There are several rules for recycling e-waste, and so it’s important to stay clued up.
- DropCountr: The Dropcountr application links up to your utility provider, to track your water usage. Using the data, you can improve your water conservation efforts, waste less, and save yourself money.
- Recycle everything
Simple but highly effective, you should seek to recycle absolutely everything that you can within your company. The following general tips may be helpful:
- Extra recycling bins: add extra recycling bins around your building, make it dead simple for your teams to recycle.
- Recycling incentives: Turn recycling into a challenge, with competitions and incentives to get people motivated.
- Try recycled products: Double your efforts in the realm of recycling by purchasing products that are made from recycled materials!
- Create detailed policies: Draw up a detailed recycling policy so that every department understands their role and what’s expected of them. Recycling is far easier when all of your teams are fully onboard!
- Inspect Your Warehouse
Waste inspections are especially necessary at the warehouse; there are plenty of areas here where waste can occur. Ensure that you conduct regular risk assessments of your warehouse, along with maintenance checks of your machinery and building. Any technical or maintenance issues will need to be dealt with swiftly, (these can result in waste due to downtime).
Businesses who require a newly built warehouse structure are well-advised to research the best industrial builders in their area. With a high-quality warehouse structure and the top quality machinery, it’s easier to implement high standards. When you are assessing your warehouse processes in general, remember to use lean principles.
- Compost Your Food Waste
Food waste is difficult to dispose of, and most of the time, it ends up in landfill. To dispose of your food waste more sustainably, create a compost pile. You can implement a composting policy yourself, or you can pay a third party to provide a composting program. Draw up clear policies so that your staff know which kind of food items can go in the compost, and which cannot. If your building has an outdoor space, you might even be able to create an office vegetable garden! Often, it’s the small changes that can make a great difference to how much waste you generate.
- Telecommuting Options
The impact of COVID-19 has left many businesses working remotely. Instead of rushing back to the office when the restrictions are lifted, why not embrace the remote life, and become a fully remote business? A remote operation allows you to waste less money on utilities, and resources, plus save your staff the commute. If you are still operating from your office, consider carpooling options to become a more eco-friendly business.
When it comes to waste management policies, it’s helpful to review your strategies every once in a while. As your company develops, you may need to rework your methods and policies. Most importantly, remember to ask your teams for their feedback. Your staff may be able to point out issues with your current strategies and suggest areas for improvement.
