Business waste is unavoidable in the 21st century. However, more and more business owners and entrepreneurs are finding ways to minimise it. For instance, businesses take advantage of skip hire services to deal with commercial waste, whether to get rid of the waste, recycle it or both.
Moreover, green movements have led many business owners to promote a “zero landfill” policy. They are encouraged to send as little waste as possible to landfills. As a result, businesses are forced to find new ways to manage their commercial rubbish for entirely different reasons.
Conventional commercial waste management strategies are expensive and do little to change what really needs to be done, reducing the amount of commercial waste the business creates.
To reduce the waste a company produces, here are six ways to lessen expenses on commercial waste management:
1. Examine the Processes Involved in Waste Generation
The UN Environment Programme reports that 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year. Only 9 per cent of it is recycled. That means the weight of the whole human population equals the annual plastic production.
Global municipal solid waste output is anticipated to have grown by nearly 70 per cent by 2050, reaching 3.4 billion metric tons. This is attributable to various causes, including population increase, urbanisation, economic growth, and consumer purchasing preferences.
In 2018, the UK generated 43.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste in total. This made up 85 per cent of the country’s total rubbish. By 2019, the most recent projections for England alone predict that C&I trash output for the UK would be roughly 37.2 million tonnes.
The reduction of waste a company produces is the key to reducing its costs. A company can reduce the amount of waste it produces by:
- Eliminating unnecessary purchases
- Reducing the wastes a company creates in the processes of its production
- Cleaning the workplace
- Recycling
- Avoiding producing unnecessary plastic and paper
For example, purchasing real plates instead of disposable plates can help a company reduce the waste it produces. Going paperless also helps a company reduce costs and waste significantly.
2. Reduce Packaging
The less packaging a business uses, the less money they’ll have to spend on commercial waste management and the fewer skips they’ll need in the long run. For instance, if a business owner wants to buy a new product, they should think about how it will be packaged and whether it will be made of plastic.
Non-recyclable plastics are a significant contributor to commercial waste and should be considered when ordering products. In the recycling process, plastic is used to make things that can be reused. When there are fewer things made from plastic that is recycled, there will be less plastic for recycling plants to work with.
3. Reuse and Recycle
One of the most powerful methods to reduce expenses on commercial waste management is to recycle. When businesses recycle, they are not only respecting the environment but are also decreasing the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Businesses should also recycle where possible by looking into recycling bins that can be left on-site and by decreasing the amount of packaging they use for deliveries.
The next stage is to reuse what you can after you’ve identified and eliminated waste-generating habits.
In place of plastic bottles, use glass and steel bottles, which are more environmentally friendly and reduce waste management expenses.
Another excellent practise for promoting reuse is to donate unused items and leftover food to non-profit organisations.
There are groups out there that will pick up food from your front door and provide it to those who are in need. This service is free, environmentally beneficial and enhances the company’s image while also lowering the overall cost of skip rental.
4. Encourage and Incentivise Employees and Clients
Simple activities such as establishing a mini skip for recycling or replacing paper with digital information are smart places to start when implementing a waste management plan.
However, once the organisation has implemented waste reduction and waste management policies, it is important to persuade workers and clients to join in on the effort.
The following are some strategies for motivating personnel and clients:
Incentivize employees with gift cards or a day-off for extraordinary waste reduction efforts.
Organise inter-department competitions to gather reusable waste.
Moreover, you can encourage customers to carry their reusable bags when they purchase from you.
Develop educational programmes to educate employees about workplace waste management practices.
5. Take Advantage of Economies of Scale
This is one of the most effective ways to cut your commercial waste management costs. The cost of hiring a skip is heavily influenced by the size of the skip, the distance travelled and the pickup times.
Check to determine if any adjacent businesses have waste streams that are similar to yours. If your garbage disposal needs coincide with those of a group of businesses in your area, you can use the same provider and negotiate a group price.
Moreover, you can also offer your waste disposal company more business by asking them to schedule a waste pickup during their off-peak hours.
6. Appoint a Reliable Skip Hire Company
When seeking out a commercial waste removal company, it is crucial to find one that is ethical and offers competitive services.
Before hiring a waste removal company, conduct a detailed review of their services and the prices they charge.
Ask your friends, family members and local business owners whether they know of a skip hiring firm they’ve worked with that they’d suggest.
In addition, check the company’s social media reviews and customer feedback.
When looking for a skip hire company, it is essential to contact several different ones and compare their prices, lead times and other services.
Remember expense is not the only factor to keep in mind. When looking for a skip rental service provider, you should take into consideration things such as:
- Adherence to best practice waste disposal procedures
- Sustainability
- Endorsement by any environmental organisations
- Customer service record
- Experience in the industry
- Quality of performance
- Overall reliability
The amount of rubbish produced at your workplace results from your business processes, which are the result of your work culture. Therefore, business owners should consider changing their work culture to be more sustainable and reduce the amount of waste they produce. Doing so will also help reduce the expenses on commercial waste management.
Conclusion
To keep costs down, it is essential to keep your firm running efficiently. Businesses spend a lot of money on waste management and disposal. If you run a business that makes a lot of waste, it might be hard to keep costs down. In these cases, it’s best to keep waste to a minimum and follow the tips we’ve mentioned above for proper commercial waste management.
Enviro Skip Hire is a family-run commercial skip hire and aggregate company servicing Staffordshire and is one of the most trusted in the moving and removal business. We offer a ‘wait and load’ service of up to 20 minutes for you to skip your items, and then remove them immediately from the site. Contact us today!
