Top Waste Reduction Tips for Businesses

Q: What are the benefits of eliminating plastic bottles and straws?

Plastic bottles and straws add a lot of waste and increase the need for pickups. Encourage your team to use reusable water bottles and say no to plastic straws. This helps reduce waste and saves money.

Q: What are the key aspects of waste reduction for businesses?

Waste reduction is key to sustainable business practices. By cutting down on waste, businesses can lower their environmental impact, save money, and support a circular economy.

Q: How can a waste reduction team help a business?

A waste reduction team can drive change and ensure success. It should include employees who care about sustainability. They can spot waste issues and come up with solutions.

Did you know the average American throws away about 4.9 pounds of trash daily? This fact shows how quickly waste can pile up for businesses. It harms the environment and eats into profits. But, there are ways to reduce waste and help the planet.

Contents

Reducing waste is good for the planet and can save money too. If each employee uses more than one water bottle daily, it leads to a lot of plastic waste¹. By using these waste reduction tips, your business can be more eco-friendly and save money.

Key Takeaways

The average American produces around 4.9 pounds of trash every day, which can quickly add up for businesses.
Implementing effective waste reduction strategies can minimize environmental impact and cut costs.
Reducing plastic waste, going paperless, and recycling effectively can all contribute to waste reduction.
Engaging employees, customers, and suppliers in waste reduction efforts is key to success.
Donating unwanted items and composting organic waste can further divert waste from landfills.

Conduct a Waste Audit

Starting a waste audit is key to understanding your business’s waste and finding ways to improve². This process looks at what waste your business makes and how much, usually over a week². Ross Guberman, CEO of Great Forest, says 77% of what we throw away isn’t trash, showing big savings by changing how we manage waste².

Understand Your Waste Streams

Small businesses often do their own waste audits, while big companies might hire experts for special projects like getting LEED or TRUE certification². Doing waste audits every three months, as Deirdre Fitzgerald suggests, helps track progress in cutting waste and recycling more². Common things found in waste audits include glass, paper, cardboard, and many other items².

Measure Your Waste

It’s important to measure your waste to understand how much you make and track changes over time². Ask your waste company to weigh your trash and figure out how much you produce daily or per person². Sharing this info with your team and setting waste goals can motivate everyone to help².

After the audit, look at the waste diversion rate and find the biggest waste types. Set goals for reducing waste and recycling². Badger Balm cut trash by 77% by using cloth napkins and recyclable labels, and switching to energy-saving dryers². Using waste audit data can show your commitment to being green².

Next steps might include changing dumpster sizes, adding recycling, and setting goals for waste reduction².

Metric	Value
Canada’s per-capita waste generation	One of the highest in the world³
Waste from businesses and organizations in Canada	60% of total waste³
Waste diversion rate for businesses and organizations in Ontario	15%³
Waste diversion rate for the residential sector in Ontario	50%³

A waste audit can reveal wasteful practices that cost money⁴. It’s smart to have a Finance and Health and Safety person on the audit team⁴. Also, collecting waste on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday can give a clearer picture⁴.

Accurate data is key in the audit process, including weights and what’s in the waste⁴. Sharing the results can show where to improve and support recycling efforts⁴.

“77% of what is thrown out is not trash, indicating potential cost savings by reevaluating waste management practices.” – Ross Guberman, CEO of Great Forest

Go Paperless

Reducing paper usage is a simple way to cut down on waste. Thanks to technology, we now have cheaper and better ways to use less paper at work. Companies should push for digital versions of reports, memos, and invoices over printing. This cuts down on paper waste and makes work more efficient by saving time on filing and searching⁵⁶.

Switching to a paperless system greatly reduces an organization’s environmental impact. For example, it takes 10 liters of water to make just one A4 sheet of paper⁶. Also, 1 ream (500 sheets) of paper uses 6% of a tree⁵. Plus, global paper use has jumped by 400% in the last 40 years⁵, and 55% of the world’s paper comes from cutting down new trees⁵. Going paperless can help fight these worrying trends.

Going paperless also saves businesses money. The average cost of a wasted page is $0.06⁵. And making 1 kilo of paper takes 2-3 times its weight in trees⁵. Cutting down on paper use means lower costs for printing and storage, and a smaller carbon footprint⁵⁶.

To encourage going paperless, companies can look into eSignatures⁶. These have grown in use since the COVID-19 pandemic. They cut down on paper waste, make work flow better, and keep documents safe⁶.

Overall, going paperless has big benefits for the environment and a company’s finances. By using digital solutions and cutting down on paper, businesses can help make a better future⁵⁶⁷.

Paperless

“By switching to electronic statements, customers saved approximately 2,000 tons of paper annually, equivalent to 48,000 trees.”⁷

Eliminate Plastic Bottles and Straws

Disposable plastic water bottles and straws are a big problem in the fight against plastic pollution. Research shows that in 2019, the world made over 460 million metric tons of plastic. This is double what was made in 2000, and 91% of it wasn’t recycled⁸. These items take up too much space in waste and recycling bins, leading to more pickups and higher costs for businesses.

To fix this, businesses should encourage employees to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones⁹. They should also stop using plastic straws and suggest metal or biodegradable ones⁹. This cuts down on plastic waste and sets a good example for customers and the community, encouraging others to do the same.

Eight million metric tons of plastic waste go into the oceans every year⁹.
By 2050, the ocean might have more plastic than fish⁹.
Items like straws, water bottles, and bags are causing more plastic pollution⁹.
Businesses are now cutting out plastic straws to lessen plastic waste⁹.

These easy steps can greatly reduce a business’s plastic use and help fight plastic pollution⁹. By doing this, businesses can save money and show they care about the environment. This can inspire others to do the same⁹.

“Participation in local clean-up efforts at water bodies can contribute to removing plastic debris and promoting environmental sustainability.”⁹

Recycle and Compost

After reducing waste, focus on recycling and composting what’s left. Recycling keeps materials out of landfills, and composting cuts down on methane emissions. The EPA says food waste and yard trimmings make up a big part of what we throw away, over 28 percent¹⁰.

Address Organics

Composting or diverting organic waste can greatly reduce your waste. It’s cheaper than landfilling, costing about $55 per ton in 2019¹⁰. Places like San Francisco have done well, getting over 80 percent of waste out of landfills since 2012¹⁰.

Composting does more than just reduce waste. It helps soil hold more water and can take a year or two to make compost, or just four weeks to a few months with hot composting¹⁰.

Waste Reduction Strategies	Estimated Impact
Recycling one 20 oz plastic bottle	Equivalent to powering one CFL lightbulb for 10.3 hours¹¹
Recycling one ream of printer paper (500 sheets)	Equivalent to powering a typical laptop for 49 hours¹¹
Recycling one 12 oz glass bottle	Equivalent to powering one CFL lightbulb for 5.3 hours¹¹
Recycling one aluminum can	Equivalent to powering a typical laptop for 5.8 hours¹¹
Composting one ton of organic waste	Equivalent to removing a car from the road for two months¹¹

Recycling and composting are key to reducing waste. They help keep materials out of landfills and tackle organic waste. This approach can lessen a business’s environmental impact and cut disposal costs¹⁰¹²¹¹.

Donate Unwanted Items

When businesses renovate or clean out storage, they often have furniture, equipment, and more that’s still in good shape. Instead of throwing these items away, think about giving them to charities, schools, or other groups that can use them¹³. This helps keep items from ending up in landfills and helps the community by giving them what they need.

Great Forest has helped companies donate things like furniture, hotel items, and gym gear to those who need them¹³. Donating can save businesses money on getting rid of waste, moving it, and storing it. Plus, they can get tax breaks for their donations¹³. It also makes employees and customers happy, and it cuts down on the waste made by the business¹³.

¹⁴ Kingston’s YMCA takes used bikes to fix them up and give them to people who need them for getting around.
¹⁴ Free Little Libraries all over accept books for donations.
¹⁴ There are places in Boiceville, Hurley, Kingston, Marbletown, New Paltz, Phoenicia, Rosendale, Saugerties, Shokan, and Woodstock where you can drop off clothes for reuse.
¹⁴ Kingston and New Paltz have places that take DVDs if they work well.
¹⁴ The Lions Club has boxes for glasses donations in Esopus, Kingston, and Saugerties.
¹⁴ There are food pantries in towns like Accord, Boiceville, Ellenville, Esopus/Port Ewen, Gardiner, Highland, and Kingston for those in need.

By giving away items they don’t use, businesses can keep resources from going to waste. They help their local communities and might even save money on getting rid of waste and storing things¹³. This green action is good for the planet and makes a big difference in people’s lives¹³.

Waste reduction

Waste reduction is key for sustainable businesses. It helps the environment and can save money. By making less waste, companies can lessen their environmental harm, cut disposal costs, and help the circular economy. Waste reduction is important for all businesses, offering big benefits.

One top way to reduce waste is through a waste audit. This means looking at what and how much waste a business makes. It helps understand waste types and find ways to improve¹⁵. Knowing what waste they have lets companies make plans to make less waste and send less to landfills.

Going paperless is another good move. Switching to digital for documents and messages cuts down on paper use and makes work smoother¹⁶. Companies can also stop using single-use plastics like water bottles and disposable items. This helps with waste management.

Waste Reduction Strategies	Benefits
Conduct Waste Audits	Identify waste streams and opportunities for improvement
Go Paperless	Reduce paper consumption and enhance workflow efficiency
Eliminate Single-Use Plastics	Minimize plastic waste and promote the use of reusable alternatives
Implement Recycling and Composting Programs	Divert waste from landfills and contribute to a circular economy

Using a full approach to waste diversion, businesses can lessen their environmental impact. With actions like waste audits, going paperless, and stopping single-use plastics, they can make less waste. This shows they care about the planet.

“Businesses that prioritize waste reduction not only benefit the environment but also experience cost savings and enhanced operational efficiency.”

Waste reduction is key for sustainable business, with benefits for the planet and the wallet. By using the strategies mentioned, companies can tackle their waste management issues. They become leaders in sustainability, helping create a better future.

Form a Waste Reduction Team

Getting employees involved in waste reduction efforts can make a big difference. Think about creating a waste reduction team with people who love sustainability. They can spot waste problems and come up with solutions. These team members can also motivate others to be more eco-friendly and join in on waste reduction projects¹⁷.

An waste reduction team can really help push your company towards sustainability. These green team members can lead the way with things like waste audits. They can find areas to improve and come up with new ways to cut down on waste¹⁷. By making people feel like they own the project, sustainability champions can get others to live more eco-friendly lives. This leads to a big decrease in waste for your company¹⁷.

To make a strong waste reduction team, look for volunteers from different parts of your company. Having a mix of views and working together can bring up new ideas and get everyone on board¹⁷. Let the team set goals, track their progress, and share their wins with everyone. This will encourage more people to support sustainability.

A well-run waste reduction team can really help your company become more eco-friendly. By using the skills and enthusiasm of your green team, you can find new ways to make a difference. This can lead to big changes and a culture that cares for the environment¹⁷.

Waste Hierarchy Ranking	Description
Waste prevention	Eliminating waste before it is created
Reuse and repair	Finding new uses for items instead of discarding them
Remanufacture and refurbish	Restoring used products to like-new condition
Recycle	Converting waste into new materials or products
Energy recovery	Recovering energy from waste, such as through incineration
Landfill	Disposing of waste in a sanitary landfill

“Engaging employees in the waste reduction efforts can help drive change and ensure long-term success.”

Train Employees Regularly

Teaching your team about waste reduction is key to your business’s green goals. Give new hires training on how to handle waste and recycling right. Keep them updated on your progress and new projects¹⁸. Without training, employees might not know how to use resources well, causing waste¹⁸. But, a well-trained team works better and serves customers better too¹⁸.

Communicate Waste Goals to Customers

Tell your customers about your waste reduction aims too. They might want to help and live greener themselves¹⁹. Talking with customers about going zero-waste builds a community feeling and raises environmental awareness¹⁹.

“Effective training results in increased productivity and improved customer service.”¹⁸

By training your team often and sharing your waste goals with customers, you create a green culture. This gets everyone involved in making your business more eco-friendly.

Reduce Contamination in Recycling Bins

Keeping your recycling clean is key. Recycling contamination can lower the recycling value and recycling quality of materials. When recyclables mix with non-recyclable items, they often go to the landfill, wasting their value²⁰. To fix this, teach employees and customers how to recycle right and use clear signs to help²¹.

Now, contamination rates are a big problem in recycling²². When recyclables get dirty, they’re seen as trash, raising waste and recycling costs²². Companies face higher fees because of this, thanks to the China import ban and other countries limiting contaminated scrap²².

To fight this, businesses can try these ideas:

Put up clear signs to teach people what can be recycled²¹.
Use bins with small openings to stop people from throwing in the wrong stuff²¹.
Keep recycling and trash bins together to make sorting easier²¹.
Ask employees and customers to clean items before recycling to avoid contamination²¹.

By doing these things, businesses can reduce recycling contamination. They’ll keep their recyclables clean and boost the recycling value of their waste²².

“Recycling education and awareness campaigns have been highlighted as crucial due to the lack of public knowledge regarding recyclable materials and proper recycling methods.”

Implement Centralized Waste Bin System

Using a centralized waste bin system is a smart move for businesses aiming to improve waste management. Offices often have waste and recycling bins at each desk, but this can lead to recyclables ending up in the trash²³.

By placing waste bins in key spots around the office, companies can make sorting easier and cut down on landfill waste²³. This approach can trim the trash weight by up to 77%, allowing businesses to save on hauling costs²³.

Switching to a centralized system also brings down costs. It can cut janitorial work by up to 80% and reduce recyclable waste in trash by 75%²³. Companies with 1,000 employees could save about $10,000 a year by using fewer bin liners²³.

Setting up a centralized waste bin system needs good planning. First, conduct a waste audit to see how much is being recycled. Then, pick the right bins based on what employees say, and use clear signs for correct disposal²⁴. Using emails, presentations, and online forums can also help get employees on board and address any issues²⁴.

By going to a centralized waste bin system, businesses can lessen their environmental impact and save money²³. This smart waste management approach helps streamline operations, supports sustainability, and makes the planet healthier²⁴.

Benefit	Impact
Reduced Trash Stream Weight	Up to 77% reduction²³
Decreased Janitorial Labor Costs	Up to 80% reduction²³
Bin Liner Usage Savings	$10,000 annually for 1,000 employees²³
Recycling Rate Improvement	75% reduction in recyclables in trash²³

Switching to a centralized waste bin system offers big wins for businesses. By placing bins smartly and promoting sorting, companies can shrink their waste, cut costs, and help the planet²³²⁴.

“Recycling materials instead of landfilling can lead to reductions in carbon emissions, as found by EPA studies.”²³

Use Reusable Kitchenware

Switching to reusable plates, cups, and utensils in your office can greatly reduce waste. Offer reusable items that can be cleaned and used again. This move cuts down on waste and saves money on buying disposable items. Encourage employees to adopt a “you use it, you wash it” policy to keep things clean and take care of the reusable items.

Go Reusable

Reusable kitchenware is good for the planet. A study found that nine out of 12 reusable items became more eco-friendly after a certain number of uses²⁵. This includes bamboo, plastic, and metal forks, which became better for the environment after just a few uses²⁵.

Even though some reusable items might have a higher environmental impact when made, this gets better with each use²⁵. For example, ceramic mugs are great for the environment, and washing them with cold water helps even more²⁵.

Switching to reusable items is good for both the planet and your wallet. Customers love it, as seen by the 5-star ratings and positive reviews for reusable products like Coconut Bowls’ Taste Without Waste collection, wooden spoons and cutlery, and bamboo straws.²⁶

Using reusable kitchenware at work helps reduce waste and supports a sustainable work environment.

Proper E-Waste Disposal

Businesses must focus on disposing of electronic waste, or e-waste, in a responsible way. This helps reduce harm to the environment and follows the law. The U.S. throws away about 6 million tons of e-waste every year. This waste often has harmful materials that can pollute if not disposed of correctly²⁷.

To dispose of e-waste right, think about giving old electronics to take-back programs or recycling centers. These places can guide you on how to recycle. Hosting an e-waste drive once a year can also keep these items out of landfills²⁷.

Recycling e-waste is good for the planet. The EPA says recycling one million laptops saves enough energy to power over 3,500 U.S. homes for a year²⁷. Also, recycling metals from old electronics in China costs 13 times more than mining them²⁷.

Even though 25 states have laws about e-waste, not much gets recycled, with less than 25% being recycled²⁷. To improve recycling, laws could offer tax breaks for recycling efforts and stop e-waste from going to poor countries²⁷.

Companies can cut down on e-waste by using electronics longer. Some companies use copyright laws to stop people from fixing their products²⁷. Sites like ifixit.org and e-stewards.org can help find recycling spots and ensure you use certified recyclers.

By acting now to dispose of e-waste correctly, businesses can help make a greener future. This also helps avoid environmental and legal issues²⁷.

“Recycling one million laptops can save the energy equivalent of powering over 3,500 US homes for a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”

Conclusion

Using waste reduction strategies can greatly help your business and the planet. Start by doing a waste audit and go paperless. Then, cut out single-use plastics and focus on recycling and composting. Get your employees on board too. These steps can really cut down on waste and help your business be more sustainable²⁸.

Remember, making your business waste-free is an ongoing task. Always look for ways to improve. By doing so, you’ll not only help the environment but also gain your customers’ trust. They’ll see you as a brand that cares about the planet²⁸. Plus, you’ll create jobs and improve health in your community²⁸.

Good waste management, like recycling and turning waste into energy, lowers harmful emissions. It also fights climate change²⁸. By pushing for a circular economy, we use materials again and cut down on energy and emissions²⁸. With strong waste reduction strategies, businesses can lead the way to a greener future.

FAQ

What are the benefits of reducing waste in a small business?

Reducing waste in your small business is great for the planet and your wallet. It helps cut costs and lessen your environmental impact. By using smart waste reduction strategies, you can make a big difference.

How can conducting a waste audit help a business?

A waste audit is key to understanding your business’s waste. It lets you sort and analyze waste to find the biggest waste streams. Then, you can focus on improving those areas for the best results.

Why is it important to measure your business’s waste?

Measuring waste helps you see how much you generate and track your progress. Sharing this info with your team and setting goals motivates everyone to help reduce waste.

How can going paperless reduce waste in a business?

Going paperless is a simple way to cut waste. Thanks to tech advances, there are now cheaper, better ways to handle office tasks. Encourage your team to use digital versions of reports and invoices instead of printing them.

What are the benefits of eliminating plastic bottles and straws?

Plastic bottles and straws add a lot of waste and increase the need for pickups. Encourage your team to use reusable water bottles and say no to plastic straws. This helps reduce waste and saves money.

Why is it important to recycle and compost?

After reducing waste, make sure to recycle and compost what’s left. Recycling helps keep materials out of landfills, and composting cuts down on methane emissions. It’s a win-win for the planet.

How can donating unwanted items benefit a business?

When you’re updating or clearing out, you might have items still in good shape. Instead of throwing them away, donate them. Schools, charities, and other groups can reuse them, saving resources.

What are the key aspects of waste reduction for businesses?

Waste reduction is key to sustainable business practices. By cutting down on waste, businesses can lower their environmental impact, save money, and support a circular economy.

How can a waste reduction team help a business?

A waste reduction team can drive change and ensure success. It should include employees who care about sustainability. They can spot waste issues and come up with solutions.

Why is it important to educate and train employees on waste reduction?

Teaching employees about waste reduction is crucial for success. Give them training on how to sort waste and recycling properly. Keep them updated on progress and new efforts to keep them motivated.

How can maintaining the quality of the recycling stream benefit a business?

Keeping your recycling stream clean is vital. Contamination can make recyclables unusable. If recyclables get mixed with trash, they often end up in landfills, wasting their value.

What are the benefits of implementing a centralized waste bin system?

A centralized waste bin system is more efficient than individual bins at each desk. It encourages proper sorting and reduces landfill waste. This approach helps save valuable materials for recycling.

What are the advantages of using reusable kitchenware?

Stop using disposable kitchen items in your office. Switch to reusable ones that can be cleaned and used again. This cuts down on waste and saves money on buying new items.

Why is proper e-waste disposal important?

The U.S. generates a lot of e-waste, which can harm the environment if not disposed of right. Make sure your business handles e-waste by recycling or donating old electronics through the right programs.