by charlotte | Aug 22, 2016
There are many forms of waste that arise in complex processes of production. Not only will you send waste to the landfill, but you’ll also find waste in your water and electricity resources, as well as in every phase of the production line and in defective products. These are just a few of the wastes that necessitate the lean manufacturing philosophy that has become the norm throughout the industrial world, in which leaders aim to reduce all streams of waste throughout production.
When we think of waste, we typically think of garbage and yet in lean manufacturing models, actual landfill-bound waste isn’t part of the consideration. Should it be central to the lean manufacturing model? Reducing landfill waste does indeed save a company money in logistics and possibly purchasing, as well as other valuable resources that are being wasted.
What is Lean Manufacturing?
The concept of lean manufacturing is derived from the renowned Toyota Production System which was developed and widely adopted in the 1990s. The Toyota Production System focuses on seven wastes that, when reduced, will improve overall customer value. Since value is measured through the eyes of the customer, any action or service that a customer would be willing to pay for is considered valuable. This lean manufacturing model is what made a small Japanese car company into the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, and all by focusing on the reduction of waste. In their seven waste streams, however, landfill waste is never mentioned, though in today’s market it is absolutely of value to a customer who wants to buy products from responsible companies.
Why Should Landfill Waste Be Included in Lean Manufacturing?
Landfill waste is an aspect of production where the lean manufacturing mentality can be applied to save money and improve productivity and therefore value. Not only do your customers desire products from companies who care about their impact on the environment, but the amount of landfill waste you produce directly correlates to other forms of waste that you are probably overlooking. When you have excess landfill waste, you will find waste in aspects of production like logistics, space usage, and downtime.
How Waste Can Lead to More Waste
When your landfill waste is piling up at unreasonable levels, it is often a symptom or cause of other forms of waste throughout your production where the principles of lean manufacturing are transformative. Motion is one of the seven wastes that is often associated with the movement of landfill waste throughout a manufacturing facility as waste cans need to be frequently emptied, or are in inconvenient places for certain employees. This movement can then lead to more waiting, which is another of the seven wastes, as employees might get lackadaisical in their movement throughout the facility resulting in lower production times.
Trash compactors are a great tool to help in reducing landfill waste and the other wastes associated with it throughout your facility. Not only do they reduce the size and therefore the frequency of waste removal trips, but they also reduce the movement associated with landfill waste. If you are considering waste management practices and how they coincide with your lean manufacturing model, call KenBay to find out how we can be of service.
by charlotte | Aug 17, 2016
If you are producing multiple tons of waste a week, logistics costs can start to pile up quickly. Landfills are filling up and many of them are even closing, leading to even higher logistics costs associated with waste because companies are left to ship it farther distances. When you are already paying for other streams of shipping throughout your business processes, it makes sense to spend less on your waste than you do, say, on shipping products to your customers. If you have yet to consider how much you are actually paying in logistics costs when it comes to waste management, it’s time to crunch some numbers and get those costs down.
Waste Management
When it comes to lowering company-wide logistics costs, waste management is a great place to start. Many new business owners don’t consider that waste management is a thing to take seriously until they get that first waste removal bill. There are various streams of waste to consider when doing a waste management audit, and not just those associated with trash. You can also consider other areas of sustainability like energy and water use. Are there other valuable resources that are not being monitored and therefore producing waste besides the actual materials you are sending to the landfill?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Corporate responsibility necessitates that you manage your waste wisely by recycling and disposing of things like hazardous waste properly. There are many ways to reduce waste coming from your facility, and they all start with a proper audit of all your processes and the waste they produce. By auditing your waste consistently for a designated period you will discover where there are unnecessary or avoidable waste streams and can figure out where to move from there to reduce them. One waste stream you can almost always reduce is packaging. Consider your purchasing practices and how you might order things in a way that cuts down on packaging waste. Packaging can come in many forms from cardboard to shrink wrap and ends up as both trash and recycling.
Furthermore, there are many things that are determined waste that can be useful as opposed to discarded. Things like manilla envelopes and plastic containers can be easily stored for second use. There are also many options to sell used goods to other companies who can use or recycle them, creating a passive income stream where you would have been dishing out in logistics costs.
Invest in a Commercial Trash Compactor
Are you looking to improve the sustainability of your business, as well as the safety of your workplace? Commercial trash compactors are the absolute best bet for achieving both of these goals. With many different sizes and specialities, there are commercial trash compactors for every purpose waiting to prove their return on investment. Not only can you improve the sustainability of your own company, but a commercial trash compactor will help you reduce the volume of waste that you are sending to your local landfill.
For more information about how the manage your waste in such a way that you will reduce logistics costs throughout your company, call KenBay.
by charlotte | Aug 12, 2016
If you are trying to reduce your waste, one of the easiest things you can do is find things that are easy to reuse. With a little bit of effort, you can significantly reduce many of your waste streams with simple reuse protocols based around sorting, cleaning and storing. There are many things, like manila envelopes and plastic containers, that are determined waste that can be useful instead of thrown out. By taking the effort to save and reuse whatever you can, you will save the company from having to purchase as many as it would otherwise. There are also many opportunities to sell used goods to other companies who can use or recycle them, creating a passive income for your company.
4 Benefits of a Habit of Reuse
- Save Money
When you reuse things throughout your business operations you will undoubtedly save money in many ways. Not only will you spend less on purchasing what you have decided to reuse, but you will also save money on waste removal as you significantly diminish a waste stream. When you open your mind to the idea of reusing things you will undoubtedly begin to think more creatively about the waste you’re creating. If you want to further reduce your waste removal costs, consider purchasing a commercial trash compactor.
- Build Partnerships
Another common oversight is the opportunity to find a partner in your community who would consider something that is your waste to be a valuable resource for them. Turn to your community to find partnerships like this and you just may save money in buying things you could get at discounted prices, on trade, or completely free. Not only will the habit of reuse challenge you to think more creatively about your own waste, but also about that of your partners throughout the community.
- Zero Landfill Initiative
The zero landfill initiative is an ideal that many organizations and governments strive for, and the practice of reuse is central to achieving it. If you haven’t yet considered how you can contribute to this admirable common goal, a waste audit and habit of reuse are great places to start.
- Encourage a Charitable Community
Many things go in the trash that could be incredibly useful to other organizations in your community. Teachers, for instance, are constantly short on supplies they need for the classroom, and some of your garbage could serve as great craft supplies or even paper products they might need for schoolwork. Don’t give in and let things get dumped at the landfill when you could be directly helping your community with what you might now be deeming trash. If you can’t reuse it yourself, chances are someone else can. Furthermore, this kind of outward-facing thoughtfulness is a great way to get your employees more engaged in their work as they aim to make it part of something bigger than themselves or even the organization, but about being a service provided to their local community.
If you haven’t yet made the habit of reuse a norm in your organization, it’s time to start working towards this goal. Begin by educating your employees on some simple changes they can make, then give them the freedom to find their own solutions to reuse in order to reduce waste streams. If you are looking for further waste management help, give KenBay a call to see how we can help you.
by charlotte | Jul 30, 2016
Taking care of your trash and recycling is not only a big job when running a business, but can also be a costly one. There are countless ways to reduce the costs associated with the trash and recycling handling, while simultaneously building a more sustainable business. Whether your main waste streams are in packaging or food waste there are simple ways to alleviate your removal costs.
5 Ways to Reduce Carrying Costs of Trash and Recycling
- Educate Your Employees
The process of reducing the costs surrounding your waste management and trash and recycling hauling specifically begins with education or re-education. Once you have been caught up on all the latest policies, technologies and methodologies, begin to make a plan and spread the information throughout your company. Host informational meetings and find the people in your employ who are passionate about the cause. Use signs to help people remember what they’ve learned about your new waste management direction.
- Reduce Waste
There are many ways to reduce waste coming from your facility, and they all start with a proper audit of all your processes and the waste they produce. By auditing your waste consistently for a designated period you will discover where there are unnecessary or avoidable waste streams and know where to move from there in your goals to make less waste.
- Reduce Packaged Inventory
One waste stream you can almost always reduce no matter your industry is in packaging. Consider your purchasing practices and how you might cut down on the amount of packaging waste you produce. Packaging can come in many forms from cardboard to shrink wrap and ends up as both trash and recycling.
- Reuse Whatever You Can
There are many things that are determined waste that can be useful as opposed to discarded. Things like manilla envelopes and plastic containers can be easily stored for second use. There are also many options to sell used goods to other companies who can use or recycle them, creating yet another passive income for your company.
- Invest in a Commercial Trash Compactor
Are you looking to improve the sustainability of your business, as well as the safety of your workplace? Commercial trash compactors are the absolute best bet for achieving both of these goals for your company, as well as many more when you choose the one that is most suitable for you. With many different sizes and specialities, there are commercial trash compactors for every purpose waiting to prove their worth in investment. Not only can you improve the sustainability of your own company, but a commercial trash compactor will help you reduce the volume of waste that you are sending to your local landfill.
When companies put time, energy and money into considering how they can implement better practices for their trash and recycling handling, they are not only improving their business operations but are giving back to their community and oftentimes they’ll save money doing it. While the immediate costs and initial investments might not seem worth it, the long-term savings and improved public relations are undeniable.
If you are looking for a waste management consultant, be sure to call KenBay to learn more about our expertise.
by charlotte | Jun 16, 2016
Are you looking to start or improve upon a zero landfill initiative to do your part for the conservation of our beautiful world? You’re in luck because at KenBay we are experts in helping companies achieve their zero landfill initiative goals and have all the tools you need to see it through. A zero landfill initiative does more than simply divert waste from the landfill, it will actually end up saving your company money on waste transportation, as well as improve the overall safety in your manufacturing facility.
What is a Zero Landfill Initiative?
As opposed to a zero waste initiative, which constitutes absolutely no waste or recycling, a zero landfill initiative is defined by diverting the majority of waste from the landfill in favor of producing only recyclable waste. There are three degrees of landfill initiatives to strive for, the most ambitious of which is the zero landfill initiative which constitutes that 100 percent of waste is diverted from the landfill. Then there is the virtually zero landfill initiative with diversion rates of 98 percent or higher. Finally the landfill waste diversion initiative is for companies aiming to divert at least 80 percent of their waste from the landfill. Figure out which goal is the most attainable for your company and begin taking steps towards achieving it! Reducing your landfill waste is often a process that will improve over several years so don’t try to fix it all in one month and then never think about it again. It’s a long term commitment!
5 Ways to Make Progress on Your Zero Landfill Initiative
- Work With a Waste Management Company
Waste management companies like KenBay are experts in helping organizations of all kinds reduce their waste. We can help you do everything from company-wide waste audits to find more efficient and safer production practices, as well as provide new equipment that will help you reduce the volume of your waste.
- Perform Consistent Waste Audits
There is no way of knowing how to reduce your waste if you don’t know where it’s coming from and what kind of waste it is. You need to track your waste throughout every aspect of your business in order to make a targeted plan to both reduce and eliminate certain waste streams.
- Think Both Short and Long Term
The necessity of having both a short and long term plan for achieving your zero landfill initiative is absolutely crucial to seeing results. You won’t be able to make huge amounts of progress right away, so make sure you have actionable small goals through which you can measure progress to keep yourself and the rest of the company motivated towards the long term goals. Honda has been working towards their zero landfill initiative for over a decade!
- Buy a Trash Compactor
Trash compactors have the ability to reduce your waste volume at a rate of six to one meaning that, if you are still producing landfill waste, you can significantly reduce the space it will take up in the landfill as well as your own hauling costs. The same trash compactors can also be used for recycling, achieving the same ends for recycling centers.
- Use Biodegradable Bags
A great way to work towards your zero landfill initiative is to use biodegradable bags that will disintegrate over time, leaving one less plastic bag in the recycling center or landfill. This is a small and easy measure to take towards achieving your goals.
A zero landfill initiative is a worthwhile goal for your organization, no matter what industry you are in. If you want to know more about how a waste management company can help you achieve a zero landfill initiative, give KenBay a call!
by charlotte | Jun 10, 2016
Waste removal is something business owners don’t often consider since they aren’t responsible for doing it. Oftentimes when paying for a service, especially from the city, it’s easy to forget that, and the end of the day, we have a stake both financially and in terms of safety in our waste removal. By seeking ways to reduce waste you will necessarily find ways to improve safety in your workplace, as well as save money not only in removal, but also in countless other ways you may not even realize are opportunities.
Start With a Waste Removal Audit
Whether you’re doing it in-house or working with a company like KenBay to perform a waste removal audit, this is the first step in finding ways to improve safety and reduce waste removal costs. Commit to assessing every part of your processes and operations that produce waste and consider how you might be able to cut back on waste in those circumstances. There are often things that can be recycled that are going into the waste can. Another common oversight is the opportunity to reuse things yourself, or find someone in your community who would consider something that is waste to you a valuable resource for them. Turn to your community to find partnerships like this and you just may save money in buying things you could get at discounted prices, on trade, or completely free
A waste removal audit will also give you an opportunity to take a good hard look at how much waste you are actually producing over all. What does your huge trash bin look like at the end of the week? Is it overflowing, or could it go another week without being picked up. Find solutions either way that will help you reduce waste removal costs. Trash compactors are always a great option, whether you’re on one extreme or the other, allowing you to reduce the size of your waste, and therefore the costs associated with removing it.
The Overflow of Audits
The nice thing about performing a waste removal audit is that you will look at waste collection and removal as a whole system throughout your business. You will start to consider how you can streamline this process that before may not have seemed a significant part of anything at all. When you start to reason about where your waste cans are placed, and whether they are in the most strategic and best places, the safety and cleanliness of your workplace will undoubtedly improve. Trash compactors are a helpful addition, allowing you to ensure that your waste is never unruly and unconfined. Waste cans are overlooked hazards by either being constantly overflowing, or placed too close to vents and heat sources. The safety of your employees will increase while your liability decreases when you start to consider your waste removal.
You will never know if there are improvements that can be made if you don’t take that first step in performing a waste removal audit. Get started and don’t hesitate to call in the KenBay troops for some expert advice and help in approving upon your waste removal practices.
by charlotte | Jun 2, 2016
When it comes to that point in the year when things are dialed in and it’s time to start doing some assessments that you now have time for, waste management is always a good place to start. Great things can come from rethinking your waste management practices including time and money savings. Though you don’t necessarily need to make the investment, a crusher is one of the surest ways you can have the most impact in changing your waste management by reducing its size and therefore the costs you are paying to have it hauled off.
What is a Crusher?
Also known as a trash compactor, a crusher is a mechanical device used across many industries to reduce the size of various types of waste. A crusher is made of material that is molecularly stronger than almost anything it will come in contact with. This means that the two solid surfaces of the crusher, when effected by mechanical force, can break down and reduce in size nearly anything it will compact, with few things able to dent or even scratch it. Crushers are used for everything from cardboard boxes and aluminum cans, to rocks.
Why Use a Crusher?
No matter what industry you’re in there is a crusher that will work perfectly for you without taking up any more space in your facility than a standard sized pallet. For example, the small footprint RotoPac by KenBay only needs a space of 4 by 5 feet to fit comfortably in your workspace. While it takes up very little room, it actually increases your space for waste management as it compacts everything from food waste to general manufacturing waste. When you optimize your waste management with a crusher, you will also significantly reduce your waste removal costs, as your trash is reduced at a ratio of six to one, compacting up to 300 pounds per hour. Not only does a trash compactor reduce the volume of your waste, but it can also significantly increase your workflow efficiency.
A Crusher Can Increase Safety Too
Inefficient waste practices can also result in unsafe work environments cluttered with hazards. Without assessing your waste management practices your facility is prone to waste buildup in places where either a waste can is overflowing, or where there isn’t one at all. When considering making the investment of purchasing a crusher, start by considering the flow of waste management in your workspace. When you do this you will undoubtedly notice that there are many things you can do not only to reduce the amount of waste you’re producing, but also increase productivity by making disposal more convenient for workers, thereby decreasing the number of hazards found throughout the workplace.
Don’t let waste management in your workplace go overlooked just because you aren’t ready to invest in a crusher. There are so many other measures you can take to increase workflows, safety and efficiency when it comes to finding ways to reduce waste. Whether you need to start with a simple waste audit to see where your biggest problems lie, or are ready to bite the bullet and invest in a crusher, there is always something more you can be doing to decrease the amount of waste you are sending to the landfill each year. If you want to talk to some waste management experts, call KenBay to learn more about our extensive line of trash compactors.
by charlotte | May 27, 2016
Trash removal doesn’t have to be the dreary topic it presumes to be, especially when you start to think outside the box and consider the bigger picture. So many good things can come from rethinking your trash removal and all the things associated with it. If you have yet to reassess your business or home waste management practices, then take some time to consider the amount of waste you’re producing and where it’s going. There are some very simple ways to get started in completely making over your waste removal standards, be it at work or home.
Find Your Waste Removal Devotees
Chances are there are people in your midst who are already secretly playing the goal of garbage police, taking it upon themselves to monitor the trash can even if it is unofficial. These are going to be your go-to people in beginning the transformation of waste removal in your business, and will keep the entire project from falling on the shoulders of ownership and management. Bring a team together around the common goals of reducing waste to both save the company money on hauling costs and by recycling, as well as giving something back to the community like less pressure on your local landfills.
Where is Your Waste Coming From?
The first place to start in remaking your waste removal strategy is to figure out what your waste consists of. The easiest way to do this, especially if you’re in a large facility, is to take on a weakly waste audit challenge. Checking your waste at the end of each day will give you a much better idea of where in your production the most waste is coming from. When you know where your garbage is being produced, you can then consider ways to reduce its creation and therefore waste removal as well.
Recycle Anything You Can
Many recyclables go completely overlooked, or are simply more convenient to throw in the trash for lack of a nearby recycling bin. A great place to start in reducing your waste is to vamp up your recycling program through first, education and second, logistics. Make sure you and your employees are aware of absolutely everything that can go in the recycling. Then make sure that there are always visible recycling bins around. Cardboard is a huge (quite literally the largest volume of waste created) culprit of recyclable goods ending up in landfills, and is usually easily avoided with the right measures in place.
Reuse or Regift
A lot of your waste, you will find, may not be recyclable but might still have some purpose or use for another business in your area or perhaps a local junk collecting store for all those DIYers out there. It could surely take some extra time to get this project going in full force, but it will also help your business build ties with the community around it, and potentially give an employee an exciting new job to take hold of.
Don’t underestimate the power of reducing your waste removal costs by taking these few steps seriously. If you want to do even more you can call KenBay to learn about our state of the art trash compactors and how we can help you improve your waste management practices.
by charlotte | May 10, 2016
Every year there are 400 million tons of paper and cardboard products created worldwide, and recycling just one ton of that material can save as many as 31 trees from being cut down. About 50% of recycled paper comes from industry and business, making room for a huge market of cardboard recycling services within the waste management field. Through the sorting, compacting, baling, shredding, washing, bleaching, pressing and re-rolling process that takes place when cardboard is recycled, it’s no surprise that recycling centers love to reward businesses with cardboard recycling trash compactors.
10 Ways to Save When You Practice Cardboard Recycling
- Save the Trees!
With dwindling forests around the world, especially in those prized tropical and developing countries like the infamous Borneo, recycling and using recycled products should become a practice we all partake in.
- Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming a field all its own as companies realize that part of creating a lifestyle that attracts both talent and investment is the good deeds people are longing to do. A commitment to something like cardboard recycling sets the stage for yet more good works.
- Relieve Overflowing Landfills
Every ton of paper recycled saves about 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, significantly reducing the amount of waste we send there each year.
- Cardboard is the Biggest
Cardboard recycling is so important because it is the largest form of waste created by business each year, and accounts for about 30 million tons of landfill waste annually.
- Improve Productivity With a Trash Compactor
A stainless steel trash compactor is an easy investment to make if you’re looking to improve your cardboard recycling practices. They will allow your employees to focus more on their tasks at hand than managing waste removal.
- Save on Removal
A trash compactor will decrease the volume of waste you create at a rate of six to one, meaning each load you have hauled away will contain more waste.
- Cut Labor Costs
With a trash compactor, you can eliminate a large portion of someone’s responsibilities, making your workplace more efficient and either cutting down on overtime hours or even trimming down staff as your dial in your workflows.
- Create Income
If you are selling enough cardboard recycling back to the recycling companies, you can not only cover your hauling costs, but you can actually earn money doing it.
- Reduce Hazards
Hazards are dangerous and can end up being costly if the wrong thing happens. Efficient cardboard recycling reduces risk by ensuring that there aren’t constantly big piles of boxes sitting around that could potentially start a fire.
- Improve Your Workplace Environment
Proper waste management practices like cardboard recycling can be central to creating a clean and welcoming work environment that is bound to cut down on your turnover rates. Investing in your space can save you a lot of money on hiring and training in the long run.
When it comes to waste management, a small investment in something like a trash compactor to improve your cardboard recycling can show you big returns, and quickly. Not only are you bound to save face, money, and time, but your employees will be prouder of where they work, and more excited about being there. For more information on improving and upgrading the way you handle waste, call KenBay!
by charlotte | Apr 27, 2016
The 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.
