Running a business is a time consuming and complicated task, with many challenging aspects to balance and organise. Keeping an eye on finances is always a priority, as most companies want to be making some sort of profit! But sometimes, it can be all to easy to focus on making savings by sourcing more effectively and getting a better price for materials, rather than scrutinising what happens to your business waste.
Taking the time to look at reducing what your business sends to landfill will also help you to save money and make your company more efficient. If you’re not sure where to start, here are my top 5 tips for addressing this issue:
1. Look at your manufacturing process
If you manufacture products yourself, are there processes that can be adjusted to change how much waste is created? If machinery is old or needs servicing it could be manufacturing items that are rejected by your QC process, without you even knowing. Schaefer Shelving has a number of fully autonomous and semi autonomous systems that will not only expedite the manufacturing process, but will reduce waste (both environmentally and physically) simultaneously. Think about ways to produce an item with fewer materials, or with less waste at the end of the process. Can your items be wrapped using less packaging?
Talking to your employees about ways to reduce waste may also highlight new ideas and initiatives which you wouldn’t necessarily come up with yourself. Having a system for grading the different type of waste you produce will also mean that something such as cardboard which can be recycled, doesn’t get thrown away. This may sound simple, but I know of companies that put everything into one skip without separating any items for recycling or re-use. Just to emphasize, there’s nothing wrong with using the services of skip bin hire sydney or similar companies, but it is up to you to use them responsibly and properly.
2. Support your local community
Donating your old furniture, product samples or manufacturing offcuts to your local community group or school can be a great way to support your local community, whilst reducing your business waste. Groups such as the Brownies or after school clubs are always looking for materials to use in art and craft projects or community projects.
3. Donate to your local Scrapstore
You may not be aware of this, but the UK has a network of scrapstores that encourage creative reuse of waste donated to them by local businesses. Scrapstores are a great way to safely dispose of your manufacturing waste whilst also fulfilling your corporate social responsibility.
You may wonder why anyone would want your manufacturing waste, but there’s some very creative people out there who can make fantastic art out of the most unusual items. If you go to the Scrapstores UK website you can submit a form with details of your waste material, and they will search their database to see who is interested.
4. Join the NISP Network
NISP works to identify profitable links between its business members, so that undervalued resources from one, can be recovered and reused elsewhere in the network. By joining the NISP network: “you will enable your company to increase profitability through reduced costs and additional sales, diversify by finding new markets for existing products, innovate through knowledge transfer, and deliver company social responsibility commitments through measurable actions”.
5. Recycle
Choosing to recycle your business waste will help you avoid landfill tax. Lots of different items can be recycled, including paper, cardboard, cans, glass, and plastic bottles. Whether you live in London and are looking for Docklands Skips, or need hazardous waste disposal in Birmingham, you will find waste recycling companies that can help you with your needs.