Environment
Radical Waste Management Solutions Are Essential for Environmental Preservation
Do you know how much waste your company produces? Companies around the United States produce 21 million tons of paper waste every year. You produce other forms of waste as well, which is leading to a massive landfill crisis.
Choosing the right waste management solution is a great way to ensure that your organization meets all of its sustainability goals in a reasonable timeframe. While it might seem like a relatively simple decision, the type of waste management program that you choose is very important. This decision may have far-reaching consequences. This is due in no small part to the fact that businesses generate so much garbage.
In fact, Americans produce three times more waste than the current world average. Some ecological experts believe that this is one of the biggest hurdles the country has to urgently address in order to get closer to a truly sustainable economy. Fortunately, there’s no reason that your organization has to contribute to this trend.
Saving Cash While Slashing Your Impact on the Environment
One of the most commonly cited reasons as to why firms don’t clean up their act is the fact that waste management programs are expensive. Companies are concerned about going over budget in the process. In many cases, however, picking the right disposal program can save a substantial amount of money. Some smaller waste management firms are developing new techniques that can help solve garbage-related issues while also generating new raw materials for the manufacturing sector. For instance, business owners can now invest in a waste to sustainable thermoplastic solution that reprocesses post-consumer content into a viable material. By selling this material to industrial supply companies, the waste management firms in question can offer a dramatically lower cost to their disposal clients.
Since these programs really do help to eliminate waste in a manner that’s ecologically sound, it’s also a major win not only for the environment but also your public relations department. Many consumers are understandably fed up with companies that claim to be reducing their carbon footprint while they really look for excuses and hide some of their less desirable practices. By investing in this kind of a program, your firm will more than likely be viewed as honest and forthcoming about its manufacturing practices.
As younger consumers come of age, this will become an increasingly important marketing aspect. Greenwashing is a major issue that many of these consumers won’t fall for. They’ve never known a time without access to information online, so they’re not easily fooled by slick tactics. If your company is genuinely honest and actually working to make a difference rather than just to turn a profit, consumers will be quick to distinguish it from the rest of the pack.
Choosing an outside waste management solution is a great first step toward enjoying these benefits. That being said, you’ll still need to develop some solutions in-house if you’re going to ensure that your firm is truly on the path toward sustainability.
Reducing & Reusing Materials Inside Your Own Business
Managers of larger companies are often concerned that they’ll need to create a new department in order to put together a waste disposal solution that works. This isn’t true at all, however. If you make sure to lay out a logical plan that works for your firm, then there’s no reason why it can’t be completed with a minimum of fuss. The simplest green ideas are often the ones that people can stick to for the longest period of time.
Workshops that generate a large amount of organic waste can look into setting up small compost boxes in order to deal with it in a more environmentally-friendly fashion. As soon as such facilities were available, staffers would more than likely use them of their own accord.
Electronic waste is quickly becoming a bigger problem than organic waste, so you’ll want to audit the way your firm deals with this as well. According to a New York Times-sponsored survey, the United States produces nearly 7 million tons of e-waste annually. Cutting down on the amount your firm generates could be as easy as putting older unneeded devices up for sale.
Considering how rare some computer parts are becoming, you might even want to strip down devices that would otherwise get thrown away. Some organizations are offering trade-in programs, which could be attractive for companies that have to replace equipment on a regular basis.
Perhaps the most emphasis should be placed on reducing waste rather than dealing with it. Take the time to come up with a list of ways your firm can cut down on the amount of refuse it produces in the first place. You’ll be in a great position to choose the right waste management solution once you have your refuse problems under control.
The Importance of the Right Waste Management Program Cannot Be Overstated
You can’t overlook the importance of a sound waste management program. This is going to be essential to ensure that your company does its part to minimize the landfill crisis that we are experiencing. The guidelines listed above should go a long way towards reducing this problem.