Many businesses are looking to enhance their green credentials considering the growing movement of consumers who wish to engage with green companies. That means saving energy and making sure the waste disposal is done responsibly, with waste always kept to a minimum. In this short guide, you will learn how to responsibly handle all forms of waste in your firm, whether you are running an office, a store, or a larger industrial facility. With this knowledge, you will be able to enact changes to make your firm greener and more attractive to consumers.
Training
First and foremost, waste management comes down to training. Your staff may be wasting more materials and energy than they need to, and that is not down to their carelessness or apathy but to their training. You will generate savings through simple behavioral change if you can teach your staff about waste-saving techniques and manage how they operate in your facility.
To do this, consider creating an internal training program for all your employees. You can also bring in external trainers if you are unsure how best to tackle waste in your business. Remember that waste can come in many forms, from using too much electricity to not knowing how to dispose of recyclables. So, this is a broad training requirement that should cover all forms of waste in your firm.
Recycling
Where possible, you should try to recycle waste in your firm. To do this, you will need to teach your staff where and how to recycle goods and materials and provide areas where they can easily recycle them. Most larger firms have a recycling baler, which crushes recyclable materials into management cubes of waste, which is then taken away from your premises by a recycling firm.
You should research options online if you have not yet invested in a baler. All you’ll need is the machine and the baling wire, which holds the cube of material together and can be purchased from balingwiredirect.com. Having a recycling facility in-house will mean less waste is heading to the landfill. Measuring this change is one data point that you can share with consumers about your responsible waste management,
Power
All businesses use power. Whether you feel that you’re an energy-intensive firm or one that handles your energy requirements responsibly, you’ll still be able to find efficiency savings, which save you cash and electricity but enact policies to reduce your consumption. Simple steps such as switching off the power at the mains supply, rather than leaving computers on standby when everyone has left the office, can generate significant savings for your firm.
If you are unsure about how to reduce your electricity consumption in your firm, look to online guides or external consultants. Experts will be able to quickly point to areas in which you are currently wasting electricity, showing you how you can reduce your usage and become a greener company in the process. If you are interested in reaching “carbon zero”, with no wasted energy at all, you will also want to consider using renewable sources of energy, such as that derived from solar panels or wind turbines.
Clients
Your clients are, of course, not your responsibility, but you will be sent materials and supplies by them that may generate waste in your own firm. A typical example here is the use of non-recyclable packaging for materials that are key to the functioning of your business. If you can find a new client who provides better packaging, or pressure your current client to go greener, you will be cleaning up your supply chain as well as your own firm.
Work closely with your clients on your green agenda to bring other businesses with you on your journey to becoming a green company. You will be surprised how many are receptive to your suggestions. Many may even be planning their own changes, and a message from you may well give them the impetus they need to drive those changes internally and for your firm, too.
Minimal Use
There are several forms of waste in a company that are difficult to spot. For instance, a company that uses office supplies might not be aware that post-it notes are wasted, pencils and pens are habitually lost or taken home by your workers, and sheets of paper are tossed in the bin when they could be used as note paper. These practices are not immediately obvious to office managers, but changes could see a drastic reduction in the amount of material you are ordering for your staff.
Of course, this tip has a behavioral element, which has been touched on above. There is another element, though, about developing good internal work practices from the top down. The waste paper example, for instance, simply requires a holder labeled as such so that workers who need a little paper to make notes on can easily access it in the office. Small steps like this will ensure the minimal use of materials in your facility.
Targets and Goals
Finally, consider implementing an incentive structure for your workers that will reward them for their energy use reduction, waste reduction, and engagement with your recycling system. If you can measure how much you are saving each month due to the care and responsibility of your staff, you should be able to generate a rewards system by which you put saved cash into a pot for the use of your workers.
In that way, you will be providing a powerful incentive to do better on the waste within your firm. Your workers will enjoy striving towards this target, and you will be able to track how much you reduce your waste each month, delivering these insights to your customers, clients, and the wider base of consumers you are trying to appeal to.
Managing waste is not just an environmental imperative. It will also help you set yourself apart from other firms. Use this short guide to help you get there.
