Posted on 13th December 2017 by Hintons
In a commercial business environment, waste reduction is an overriding goal which can influence the profitability, efficiency and reputation of a company. Some commercial sectors – such as catering or retail – will produce more waste than others, but reducing commercial waste is important for any business setting. In this article, we’re looking at some things you can do to reduce your commercial waste costs.
Generating less waste
Some business owners may be unaware of how much waste their company produces in the first place. As a business grows, it’s only natural that more waste will be generated, and keeping up with this is a tough task in its own right. If you’re worried that waste disposal is eating up too much of your cashflow, carry out a waste audit of your entire company. Where is the highest volume of waste coming from? Do you have any waste management processes in place? Are these working? Exactly what kinds of waste is being generated, and how much?
Answering these questions will give you a clear idea of the waste trends of your company. From there, you can identify what needs to be targeted in order to reduce your waste costs, and generate less waste in general.
Donations
Depending on the kind of waste coming out of your business, you could look into donating it to charities or local community recycling schemes. For the catering and retail industries, food waste can be excessive, filling up multiple large bins each day. There are plenty of charities and trusts looking for regular food donations, and making arrangements with these can reduce your waste costs, help the environment and boost your business’ reputation in the local area.
Shop around
Finding the right waste management company for your requirements can take a bit of work, but it can help to shop around to find one that provides a collection service suited to your waste production habits. You could be wasting money on a collection service that is offering more than you actually need. You should re-evaluate a waste collection service whenever you carry out a waste audit; sticking with the same one despite vastly reducing the amount of waste you generate is an avoidable waste of capital.
Recycling
Modern businesses need an effective recycling scheme in place. Offices should have easily accessible recycling points throughout, and employees should be educated on the benefits of recycling to ensure maximum engagement. The less general waste you have to dispose of, the cheaper those disposal or collection costs will be. If you have local recycling facilities nearby, you’ll also save some cash on transportation.
A commitment to recycling is one of the most valuable programmes a company can implement. If you’re seriously thinking about your commercial waste costs, make recycling a priority.
Can you sell your waste?
It’s possible to sell some commercial recycling waste. Plastics, metals, glass and mixed dry recyclables can fetch a decent price – an alluring prospect for businesses who regularly produce these kinds of waste. This is one of the ways you can make recycling work in your favour, so keep an eye on all the recyclable materials generated across your company and look into potential avenues for selling them on for reuse.
Hinton’s Waste are providers of commercial waste management services across London and Croydon. We can help to reduce your commercial waste costs with a regular waste collection service suited to your requirements. We aim to recycle at least 90% of the waste we collect, and can also provide skip hire in Croydon and Sutton for domestic, commercial and industrial needs. For more information, contact us today.