All workplaces have to deal with loads of waste on a daily basis. Handling waste correctly is important since it ensures that your business complies with local and national regulations. Also, you will be playing your part in protecting the ecosystem and biodiversity. Similarly, properly disposing of waste will improve your company’s reputation, and that will help with marketing and give you a chance to partner with reputable brands. So, how can you appropriately get rid of waste in your company? Here are some tips.
1. Start with Clear Recycling Signage
To properly recycle waste, separate it based on type. For example, you can have one bin for organic waste and a different one for mixed waste. This system makes it easy for you to recycle waste and avoid contamination. To sort waste effectively, you have to introduce clear signage. Each bin must be labelled with words and images to indicate which type of waste it should contain. There are also colour codes you can use. For example, green is commonly used for organic waste bins. Utilising the correct recycling signs encourages people in your organisation to dispose of waste properly as they protect the environment.
2. Train Your Employees
Everyone in your company needs to do their part so that you achieve your environmental protection goals. That’s why you must train employees on the proper waste disposal methods. First, you have to ensure they know how to identify different types of waste produced in the workplace. They should also know the risks of mixing hazardous waste with general waste. This will give them more incentive to use the bins correctly.
Training should also focus on practical methods of reducing and reusing waste. For example, you can encourage them to use reusable water bottles, lunch containers, and coffee cups. Office essentials like binders can also be repurposed instead of being thrown away.
3. Minimise the Use of Paper and Single-Use Items
As a company, there are several policies you can implement to minimise the amount of waste you produce. First, you should go paperless and instead use digital solutions. It’s easy to communicate with your employees via email or newsletters. Some workplaces even use well-placed screens to efficiently send important broadcasts to all employees.
consider using online options instead of printing out the questions when conducting surveys. Similarly, you don’t need a cabinet for filing in this day and age. You can use cloud storage or network drives instead. In addition to minimising paper waste, these solutions will make your offices clutter-free. If you have to print out some documents, you should consider printing on both sides of the paper.
Much of your waste comprises single-use items like cups and cutlery. You should conduct a waste audit to determine where most of your waste comes from. Depending on your findings, stocking your kitchen with reusable plates, cups, and cutlery may be prudent. You can also install a filtered water cooler to encourage your team to use water bottles.
4. Leverage Technology to Track Waste
Technology affects all aspects of our lives, including waste management. Many companies are now using technology to track and manage their waste sustainably and efficiently. For example, bins can be designed with IoT technologies that signal whenever the container has been contaminated. This information can help you determine how effective your bin signage is and whether you need to train your staff better. The bins can also send alerts when the trash is full. This means the collectors will only come around when the cans are full, boosting efficiency.
5. Introduce Take-Back and Reuse Schemes
Customers may not directly dump trash in your bins, but their waste still traces back to you. You can use take-back and reuse schemes to minimise waste your products generate. This won’t just lower your carbon footprint; it also increases customer loyalty since you’ll enhance your image as a socially responsible brand. You’ll also open new revenue streams through refurbishment, resale, or repair of the items.
Conclusion
Corporations produce most of the waste in landfills. This has dire consequences for our planet. To minimise your carbon footprint, you should start by introducing bins for different types of waste. These containers must be marked in different colours and should have signs indicating the type of waste they should contain. Make sure you also train your employees on proper disposal methods. If a good proportion of your waste is made up of single-use items, eliminate plastic and paper. IoT, or the internet of things, can help you determine the contents of your waste bin, and this can help you make better policies and decisions as a company. Finally, consider coming up with take-back and reuse schemes.
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