Did you know that 7.6 billion tons of industrial waste is shipped to landfills in the United States each year? That’s a lot of garbage. What’s your contribution to that number? Although it is just a tiny fraction of those billions of pounds of waste being produced in this country, everybody can do their part to decrease the growing landfills in America by taking a few small steps to minimize waste, no matter what industry you’re in. Not only will your efforts to minimize waste be of great service to the environment, but they will also have financial and social benefits as well.
Here are some simple ways to minimize waste production:
Establish a Waste Management Team
If you don’t already have people in your place devoted to helping you minimize waste in your industrial facility, that is a great place to start. Be sure to find a group of like-minded people who are invested in pursuing the fiscal, social and environmental benefits to less waste production. Self-starters who are generally trusted in the workplace will be perfect to spur on the team mindset you need to get your employees educated and motivated around this common goal. Your new waste management plan will set standards within the workplace for what waste is and how it is handled.
Waste Mapping
Make sure that your facilities are as logically organized as possible so that you can easily identify all materials and waste products. Have your team work on optimizing all your workflows and spaces so that production and materials are easily defined. This will help you to analyze where you can cut out processes that might be producing excess or unnecessary waste. A better-ordered work environment also means that your waste will be more easily segregated for removal, which is one of the best ways to cut down on removal costs. Better workflows will also help your employees be more productive, and spend less time dealing with waste, which in turn will increase your productivity levels, and decrease payroll losses.
Recycle Reduce Reuse
Take advantage of the fact that the current workforce was raised on recycling. All you need to do is give them the specifics of which waste products can be recycled and how, and they’ll return to old habits. All you have to do is set up a convenient system and you’ll be saving money while you minimize your waste. If there are any waste products that can simply be cleaned up and reused, it can often be worth the time to do so. Don’t assume that it isn’t worth looking into it.
Do your research and make informed waste management decisions. It’s the only way you’ll manage to minimize waste in your facility. Companies don’t achieve close to zero waste by staying the same. They have to innovate and get creative by changing things up, challenging their employees, and putting in some extra leg work to see where improvements can be made. In the long run, they’re helping more than just their wallets.
If you want to learn more about waste management methods that will work for your business, call KenBay to learn more.
