The benefits of reducing waste in your business are two-fold. Not only is it good for the environment, but it also helps in reducing costs.
Businesses tend to generate multiple bags of waste every day regardless of the size of the organization. If a business was open six to eight hours every day, imagine the impact on the environment. Moreover, your business is paying to haul it away. You’re also spending more money to replace the waste. For example, you are spending money on printer paper, foodservice ware, cleaning products, etc.
However, employee waste is only the start of things. You are also collecting the trash of all your customers, suppliers, and vendors. When you do business with anyone, you will probably share waste with them. How can you manage waste more sustainably and economically in your small business? Below are a few tips to make a positive impact on the environment.
Make Sure You Are Using Double-sided Printing
Make double-sided printing the default setting on your printers if your paper costs skyrocket. Additionally, make sure your printer is set to use black/white ink and eco-friendly options while you’re at it. Ink costs can get out of hand, and the cartridges can be hard to recycle, so the less paper and ink you use, the better your company will be.
Recycle Manufacturing and Equipment Waste Correctly
Be sure to recycle batteries, computers, equipment, and metal parts correctly. For instance, call in a metal or copper recycling company to handle all of your metal and recycling needs. While this type of recycling may take workers a few extra minutes a week, it keeps the environment cleaner. So separate machine parts and equipment made of steel and copper. Call a recycling company to take care of this type of material.
Chemical Waste Recycling
You want to call in a company that does chemical waste recycling to take care of any chemical waste your company might produce when manufacturing. This effort will keep the chemicals out of drains and prevent the company from adding more chemicals to the water in the public drainage system.
Remove Single-Use Plastics from The Kitchen Area
Move your recycling efforts onto the kitchen. Stop paying for single-use products for employees to use in the food area. Foodservice items and utensils should not be delivered just to be tossed in the trash bin after being used for a short period of time. Instead, buy affordable kitchenware you can reuse.
Once you take on these waste reduction areas, you can start tackling other areas to become a low-waste company. Be sure to contact recycling providers to ask for tips to increase your sustainability practices and lower your costs.
