Here is a guide on how a new business can identify ways to reduce waste and create a new strategy for waste minimisation.

Create a strategy to reduce business waste

Reducing the amount of waste your business generates isn’t just great for the environment, it could also save your business a substantial amount of money. An effective waste minimisation strategy will look at your entire business and identify the areas that you will need to reduce waste.

The First Step- Conducting a Waste Audit

Firstly, walk around the premises, noting down the the costs and quantities of any waste you see. If you can’t work out exact costs, simple estimations will give you a good overview of the situation. Identify some of the major sources, such as waste lubricants, packaging waste and wastewater.

After these initial steps you should examine your business activities and processes more formally – this can be from examining your business documentation to talking to employees.

For example, are you sending out product information via both email and hard copy? Or are you using more packaging than necessary (Amazon)? Could raw material wastage be reduced with a product redesign?

Don’t just think about the wastage of raw materials. You also need to think about additional waste, disposal costs and the efficiency of production processes.

Create a waste management strategy

A strategy will relay your priorities on minimising waste. It’s worth looking at easily implemented waste reduction methods; for example:

• Observe the information you’re collecting from your audit
• Identify the areas where there are the highest net costs and quantities of waste. This can be the energy consumption, waste disposal costs or packaging waste
• Talk to the employees involved in the activities that contribute to this waste. They might be able to offer ways to reduce waste. This could be achieved by changing workplace practices.

Ideas into action

Brainstorming sessions are a great way to get the ball rolling. Sit down with your employees and begin generating ideas geared towards various waste minimisation strategies.

With the best ideas, work out the how much you can save. Weigh these up against the time it would take to implement and potential costs of implementing the necessary changes. Once these ideas have been set in motion, figure out the deadlines for achieving them.

You will need someone to help coordinate the waste reduction programme. To make sure they have the right authority select one of the senior members of staff, or someone in a management role.

Waste as a Valuable Resource

Effective waste management can reduce business and operating costs, enhance the reputation of the business industry and has the potential to generate new streams of revenue through recycling. This is why it’s worthwhile investing in a specialised eco rubbish clearance company.

However the biggest change that still needs to be made is the change of people’s thinking. People need to start seeing waste as something that is not their problem to dispose of, but as a valuable resource that can be used for the benefit of the environment, as well as the business.