Food Manufacturing has Unique Waste Management Needs

Food ManufacturingThe food manufacturing industry is one of the biggest producers of waste out there, weighing in at an almost unbelievable 7.1 billion pounds annually. Of the largest food manufacturing organizations in existence – like grocery stores and international chain restaurants – the majority of this waste is diverted from landfills. With the food waste itself, there are many avenues to follow in order to reduce the amount that goes in the trash, but packaging is the real kicker. There isn’t a way to avoid packaging when you’re working in food manufacturing, so it’s time to find the most efficient way to dispose of it. First, let’s look at ways to repurpose food waste.

Recycle Food Waste

If you have foods that are not yet inedible, but rather just a tad past the date that you’re comfortable selling them, look for shelters in the area that take donations and get that food into someone’s belly. With all the hungry people in our country, it’s a shame that any food goes to waste. When food does pass the point of being edible for humans, consider animal feed. There are plenty of farmers around you who would gladly take your gallons of scraps and old food to feed their livestock. If you haven’t already considered a collaboration with farmers, many businesses work on trade in this way with their producing counterparts. Compost is another great use for food scraps, and farmers would probably be just as glad to add your food waste to their compost piles to get their fields growing.

Recycle & Reuse

When it comes to packaging, the first step should be to recycle and reuse whatever you can. Buckets and other containers are great for both freezer and cooler storage, and are typically quite durable. When you’ve used them until they’re falling apart, make sure they make it into the recycling bin where they will be broken down and made into other products, instead of in the trash where they will end up in the landfill. Most people aren’t aware that most plastic wrapping can also be recycled. Whether it’s the bags that your veggies come in or the plastic wrap you used to seal something up, get it all in that recycling bin.

Compact It

Now let’s talk trash compaction. Trash compactors are ideal for the food manufacturing industry. The RotoPac SacPac, made by KenBay, is designed specifically for food manufacturing, and will reduce your waste by six times, and take up no more room in your facility than a standard pallet. Made completely out of stainless steel, they will also stay sanitary. How many trash bags of loosely packed plastic wrapping have you thrown away? Why waste your trash can space and pay for waste removal in such an inefficient way? When your waste is sufficiently compacted, your waste removal will be less frequent and more efficient, and end up saving you money.

Don’t take waste management in your food manufacturing facility lightly. A well thought out and efficient system will make all the difference in both your production and the cleanliness of your space. For more information on the incredibly feasible option of purchasing a trash compactor for food manufacturing, call KenBay.

5 Easy Ways to Save Money by Upgrading Trash Compactor Bags

Trash Compactor BagsWhat’s the point of having a trash compactor if you can’t count on the bags you’re using in it? Don’t put up with unreliable trash compactor bags because you think you’ll save a little extra money by finding the cheapest deal out there. When you have something in your workspace that is breaking consistently, chances are you get it checked out and probably repaired. Why should trash compactor bags be any different? The benefit is that you don’t have to spend much time or money finding a better solution and more reliable trash compactor bags. Just do some research and talk to your provider about different options.

  1. Avoid Breaks
    When a trash compactor has worked hard to reduce the size of your trash by a ratio from six to one, a broken bag can be a real set back sending all your nicely confined and flattened trash back to where it came from. Don’t put up with this reversal in the proper waste management order. Upgrade your trash compactor bags and keep the flow going for a clean and efficient workspace.
  2. No Extra Cleanup
    Stopping in the middle of work to clean up an avoidable mess is a real pain, and decreases the work efficiency of your employees. There is no reason to waste their time and your money when you can simply invest in durable trash compactor bags.
  3. Appease Employees
    No one likes to clean up garbage, especially when using a trash compactor that is supposed to do that job for you. The slightest annoyance in someone’s work environment can be the cause of much strife and potentially lead to high turnover rates. Don’t let something so small and easy to fix disrupt the peace in your workplace.
  4. Fit More Trash
    The best trash compactor bags are both durable and pliable, able to stretch just the right amount of trash into their midst without busting open at the seams. If you haven’t found these perfect bags yet, keep looking because they’re out there! There’s absolutely no need to keep buying sub-par products when the real deal will make everyone’s life so much easier, and save you the labor costs of continually cleaning up after the mess they make.
  5. Buy in Bulk
    If you are able to buy in larger quantities than just one box at a time, you will undoubtedly save money. Most providers, like KenBay, are willing to sling a great deal for people who want to purchase large quantities, saving you actual money as well as labor expenses when you’re dealing with cheap products. KenBay sells a wide array of high-quality trash compactor bags at reasonable prices and are always willing to work out a great deal for customers.  Whether you’re looking for reprocessed polyethylene or 100% biodegradable bags, you can get them at KenBay.

No longer put up with the unnecessary challenges that come with subpar trash compactor bags. Make the small investment of time and money to ensure that switching out your trash compactor bags is an easy and painless experience every time.

Make Hazardous Waste Disposal a Worry-Free Process!

Hazardous Waste DisposalThe hazardous waste disposal industry ships in excess of 3 billion tons of regulated materials throughout the United States each year. Hazardous waste disposal can seem a looming task in your operations, but with the right information and resources, it can be an easy, safe and worry-free process. There is no reason to be overwhelmed at the rules and regulations around hazardous waste disposal, or to put yourself and your employees in unsafe situations by neglecting to handle it with care. If you’re looking for new and better ways to take care of your hazardous waste disposal you’ve come to the right place as we are waste management experts and have all the information you need to make your workplace as safe and clean as possible.

Hazardous Waste Disposal Packing Categories

The first thing you need to figure out is what packing categories your hazardous waste falls into. There are nine different classes that indicate the degree of danger of your hazardous waste. Because your hazardous waste will need to be removed from you worksite, the Department of Transportation has established guidelines for how your hazardous waste must be packaged for the safest transportation possible.

  • Class 1 Explosives and pyrotechnics
  • Class 2 Compressed, flammable, nonflammable, and poison gases
  • Class 3 Flammable liquids
  • Class 4 Flammable solids
  • Class 5 Oxidizers and organic peroxides
  • Class 6 Toxic and infectious materials
  • Class 7 Radioactive materials
  • Class 8 Corrosive materials
  • Class 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

The manner in which you store and package your hazardous waste is extremely important in order to be properly insured and as safe as possible. Find out which classes apply to your hazardous waste disposal and how you need to package all of the waste materials you are creating.

Hazardous Waste Compactors

If your hazardous waste falls into any of the solid waste classes, then a hazardous waste compactor could improve both your workflow and safety in your workplace. The HazPac for Hazardous Waste from KenBay is an excellent product capable of reducing the size of your hazardous waste while keeping it confined. Depending on the packing class of your waste, the HazPac can be customized to either package it into plastic bags or tri-wall waste boxes.

The Benefits of the HazPac

The Hazpac not only keeps your waste confined to a specific area, it also has an incredibly small footprint. This means that you can place it right at the site where your hazardous waste is created, cutting down not only on the time hazardous waste disposal takes, but also the distance it has to travel. The risks of contamination will decrease significantly. The HazPac can also contain six times as much hazardous waste as a conventional waste can, which will greatly decrease the packaging and removal costs.

Don’t take hazardous waste disposal lightly. It is a serious matter that requires a legal and thoughtful plan. There are many resources to help you make sure your hazardous waste disposal is as efficient and safe as possible, including waste management experts like KenBay. Give us a call to see how we can help you with your hazardous waste disposal plan.

10 Ways to Improve Manufacturing Safety

Manufacturing SafetyAs an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure your manufacturing facility is safe. Your employees have the right to a safe workplace free of hazards and health risks. That said, running an organization doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for you to be supervising the workplace to ensure that health and safety codes are always up to date and being followed diligently. Don’t let this keep you from implementing the necessary manufacturing safety protocols, and making sure there are trustworthy people in place to see that they are adhered to. Manufacturing safety ought to be at the top of your business strategy list to ensure that you are decreasing the liability and risk of your operation.

10 Ways to Improve Manufacturing Safety

  1. Trustworthy Supervisors
    Make sure that every shift has respected supervisors who have rapport with all the workers. These leaders should be revered by everyone they work with, able to motivate and correct them in productive ways, and to uphold all manufacturing safety protocols, no matter how inconvenient they might be.
  2. Education
    Provide frequent continuing education classes for these supervisors to keep them up to date on new health and safety standards, as well as new methods of updating and optimizing manufacturing safety practices.
  3. Unite the Team
    Hold manufacturing safety meetings whenever a risk is brought to your attention to inform employees of the seriousness of hazards in the workplace. Unite the team around the common goal of doing work with excellence, which means it is as safe as possible.
  4. Zero Tolerance
    Do not, under any circumstances, tolerate someone who is willfully ignoring manufacturing safety regulations. These individuals put more than just themselves at risk, but also your organization and its employees.
  5. Frequent Monitoring
    While you are certainly busy running the operation, don’t withdraw your presence from the manufacturing site. The more your employees see and interact with you, the more they know you actually care about their health and safety, and not just covering your own back.
  6. Checklist
    If you have protocols that can be tracked on a list by day and time, initialed by the person who completes them, this can be a great way to set up accountability among the team. This way you can both commend and reprimand employees for their performance and commitment to have a risk-free work environment.
  7. Signage
    Good signs throughout your facility is a great way to remind employees of the manufacturing safety rules in place.
  8. Waste Management
    Waste can be central to the safety and health hazards in manufacturing facility, and ought to be properly managed. Be sure that your waste cans are optimally placed throughout your workspace to both reduce waste and to ensure that they are emptied and cleaned frequently.
  9. Build a Team
    If your supervisors are too busy managing the other aspects of manufacturing safety, have them designate teams of people in charge of making sure that waste is disposed of properly.
  10. Buy a Trash Compactors
    Stainless steel trash compactors are an affordable way to improve the manufacturing safety of your workplace, not only reducing potential fire hazards and obstructions, but also reducing the cost of removal.

Call KenBay if you are ready to learn more about how waste management practices can increase manufacturing safety.