Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Creative Ways Manufacturers Can Decrease Waste

factory by a river

In the dynamic landscape of modern manufacturing, the mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is more than just a catchphrase – it’s a strategic approach that can revolutionize industrial processes. By incorporating these principles, manufacturers not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also stand to significantly reduce costs associated with industrial waste. In this article, we will explore creative ways manufacturers can implement the 3R’s to enhance their practices and make a positive impact on both their bottom line and the planet.

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Benefits of Owning an Industrial Trash Compactor

Dumpster with boxes

It’s a never ending battle: your company produces waste, your workers haul it to dumpsters or recycling bins – or spend work hours cutting up cardboard boxes – and the cycle begins again, all in an effort to keep trash from taking up space.

This scenario plays out every day at businesses around the country…except for the ones who understand all of the benefits and have made the decision to invest in an industrial waste compactor.

In this blog post, we’ll look at a few reasons why an industrial trash compactor can help your company: save space; improve safety and security; save hauling, transportation and fuel costs and, generally become a greener, cleaner company. (more…)

Reduce Facility Costs

RecycleDo you have facility costs that you haven’t factored into your bottom line? Every production facility has waste. It’s unavoidable. But knowing how to adequately reduce its footprint, its hauling cost and potential for possible injuries can make all the difference in the world. If you have cardboard boxes coming into your production area filled with components or supplies and you are still breaking them down by hand, you have room for improvement. Cardboard is recyclable. It’s also messy if not properly dealt with at the point of taking out components. If you’re chasing after savings in your facility by parring down production costs, it might make sense to first examine how you are dealing with excess cardboard.

It’s Simple…Reduce Costs That Are Adding Up

Does dispersing components/supplies received add to the problem of disposing of the packaging materials in your plant? Some areas may be in foods or medicines processing areas where disposing of the packaging there is not permitted.  Many locations that receive components/supplies may not have the space there, especially if it is expected to separate the trash from the packaging that can be recycled. In addition, unpacking on the production line may have an effect upon production.

What You Can Do to Reduce Facility Costs

An effective way to solve these problems may be to consider unpacking components where they are received. This can have a number of the following benefits:

  1. Save space in the production area
  2. Reduce the cost of collecting the packaging material
  3. Make it more cost effective in compacting for disposal of the packaging material
  4. Reduce traffic of persons and/or forklifts in the plant

KenBay has been providing companies with the ability to package the materials more cost effectively by reducing labor and achieving much higher compaction.

Turn to KenBay for a Better Compactor

There’s a lot of compactor options out there to reduce your facility costs. It may be tempting to think that bigger is better. But buying a large bulky compactor is no guarantee of power. Instead, why not try one of KenBay’s RotoPacs? The RotoPac is portable, so you can transport it easily across the floor to wherever you need. Put it right at the source of your waste for maximum effect. And you can bet that the RotoPac has a fantastic compaction rate! If you want to try out a RotoPac for yourself, visit our website to try one out for yourself. You’ll be impressed at it’s power . . . and your savings!

5 Ways Industrial Waste is Costing you Money . . . and What to do About it!

industrial waste wastes moneyIndustrial Waste of Money?

Some people may believe that disposing of industrial waste costs very little money as opposed to recycling it. In reality, this idea couldn’t be farther from the truth. It doesn’t matter whether you are dumping your waste in a landfill or recycling it properly, you will need to spend some money. Nothing good comes for free! Of course we here at KenBay prefer that you choose the more responsible option and recycle it. We have a zero waste initiative and encourage other companies to follow suit. It’s better for the environment, and helps save you money!

“Now wait a minute,” you ask, “Recycling is expensive! Isn’t it better for my company if I throw my industrial waste into the scrapyard instead of paying money to send it somewhere else?” You may think this is the case, but here are some hidden costs you might not have considered.

Labor

So the first question you need to ask is: who’s going to be picking up and hauling the waste? Because, unless technology has advanced significantly in the last 24 hours, we don’t have an army of robots to handle our trash. What we do have are flesh and blood humans, and those still need to be paid.

Transport

“Ok,” you say, “So I’ll need to hire some folks to handle my garbage. That’s fine, I’m sure they have families to feed.” That’s true, and now have you thought about how they will get the waste to the landfill? Because it’s doubtful that they will be walking the entire way. The cost of transport is also a factor!

Inefficient Handling/Packaging

“Well of course they’ll need to use trucks!” you say next. “It’s perfectly reasonable to pay for that.” That it is, but is it reasonable to pay for all that air you’re hauling around? Most of the time, industrial waste is just thrown into the truck. Think about what happens if you just throw clothing haphazardly into a suitcase. Are you able to maximize the use of that potential space? Of course not! It’s the same here: if you’re just throwing the waste on the truck, you end up paying for more trips to haul everything. This compounds the cost of the labor and transport as well.

Consumption of Resources

Consider this also: the waste still needs to be “managed,” as it were. The process involves consuming resources. Energy is used. Water is needed. You still end up paying for this, every time you ship your waste off to a landfill.

Potential for Lawsuits

As you can see, a lot of small hidden costs end up adding to a large money sink. By now, you’re probably wondering how much of your waste you can dump into that pond nearby before anyone notices. Unfortunately for you, the greatest cost of all is handling your waste irresponsibly. You leave yourself vulnerable to a lawsuit. It’s a time consuming process which can irrevocably damage your company’s reputation, on top of the costs for your legal team. Recycling doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?

Saving money and recycling is entirely possible. Just look at companies like GM, who save $1 billion a year through responsible waste management. “But I’m not nearly as large as GM, I can’t afford to start practices like that!” you (probably) just griped. That’s true, so why not try out a KenBay compactor? Our RotoPacs reduce the need for labor because they are portable and can be used on site. Additionally, crushing your waste and recyclables into cube shapes saves you money on transport. You won’t be hauling air when everything is stacked tightly into the truck! If you are interested in a KenBay compactor, you can try one before you buy it. Switch to KenBay, and find out how much money recycling can save you!

3 Proven Ways to Cut Costs when Recycling Plastic

recycling plasticThe folks here at KenBay like to talk about recycling, zero waste, and reducing landfills. We also like to talk about saving you money! Look, we get it — you want to be environmentally conscious. Maybe you make sure to recycle in your own home and teach your children about the importance of doing so. When it comes to your business or your factory, however, finances have to come first. Hey, you’d like to recycle more, but everyone knows that with the high cost of labor, transportation, and treatment, it’s simply far more cost effective to send your waste to a landfill instead of recycling plastic. If it only cost a little cheaper, you would definitely recycle more, right?

While the cost of recycling plastic is definitely higher than dumping it, the fact remains that landfills are nothing more than a temporary solution. In fact, after decades of the practice we are only just now thinking up plausible ideas for how to make a landfill sustainable. Until those ideas become a tested and proven reality, recycling and reusing are the best methods for reducing harmful emissions and fighting against climate change. If you need some ideas for how to recycle without putting your company into the red, here are some ideas from KenBay.

Reduce Labor

A big portion of the expense of recycling plastic comes from the extra labor required for handling and transportation. Usually, you need to hire extra hands and have specialized equipment for separating and moving your recyclables. One method to reduce costs this way is to reduce the need for that kind of labor! Use a small portable compactor instead that can be easily moved and handled right at the site of your waste. Just toss the plastic in, and stop worrying about it!

Make the Most of Your Trucks

Now if every step in the recycling process could be handled on site, how easy would that be? But the reality is, you do still need to send it to another facility, which requires paying for transport costs. If you’re already paying for it, make sure you get the most of your money! Ensure that your plastic is compacted into a convenient cube shape to reduce the amount of air hauled on the truck. Remember, you are paying for volume, not weight! Through compacting as much as possible, you will always get the maximum value out of recycling plastic, and you’ll have to make fewer trips overall, saving you money!

Research and Promote New Recycling Methods

One of the best ways to reduce the cost of recycling plastic is to find and encourage innovative thinking. A company in Mexico did that last year when it discovered a new (and cheaper) method. They now have a pending patent application for their new method! Encouraging and promoting ideas like these may lead to revolutions for the way we recycle plastic, and savings for everyone!

Use KenBay for Compacting and Savings

KenBay’s line of RotoPacs provide the portable and effective cost-cutting solution that you’re looking for. We have a wide variety of compactors which can be used right on site to handle any kind of waste right then and there. If you are interested in trying our a KenBay RotoPac, we offer the opportunity to “Try it Before you Buy it.” We send you the compactor, and if you decide it’s right for you, simply pay to keep the one that we sent! And remember, for recycling plastic or any of your other waste management needs, you can do it and save money as well!

 

 

How to Cost Effectively Transport Recyclable Items

So you’ve finally decided that your plant is going to be more environmentally responsible. You’re no longer going to put concerns of waste off to the side of your mind. Instead, you’re going to be conscious about separating your recyclable items from the non-recyclables. Hey, we salute you! KenBay is committed to a zero waste initiative and helping others achieve the same goals. We believe that it is the responsibility of business owners and managers to handle their waste and recycling responsibly. 

One of the first concerns raised when it comes to recycling is cost, especially the cost of transporting the recyclable items. This is understandable! You want to protect the environment and be socially conscious, but you also can’t allow it to be too big of a strain on your business. Fortunately, there is a solution! You can transport your recyclable items and still save money! Here’s how!

Compact Your Recyclable Items into a Convenient Cube!

One of the first and most important things you can do is make sure your recyclable items are the right shape. It may be cheaper to toss it all into a garbage bag but there are two problems. One: if you are throwing away all that garbage bag plastic anyway, is there a point to adding it to the recycling truck? Two: that is not the most cost effective use of your space. You’re leaving large gaps of air in the truck, air which you are now paying to transport!

A better solution is to use a trash compactor to press all that garbage into a convenient cube shape. The cube allows for trash that is more easily stackable. Basic geometry, really! And wouldn’t you know it, KenBay has our line of handy and transportable compactors all ready to go!

Square Bags are Great Too!

Speaking of shapes, the right kind of bag can make all the difference when it comes to transportation! When you have square cubes, it just makes sense to put them in a square bag. Again, it comes down to making everything more stackable and reducing the amount of air you are hauling. Personally, we recommend super sacks. They’re fairly durable, and you can also recycle them too!

Choose KenBay and get Everything You Need

Like we said before, a KenBay compactor is a great way to press your garbage and your recyclable items into the right shape for transport. We have a variety of compactors for whatever your waste needs are. Whether they are hazardous materials, volatile waste, or even marine waste, we have the right product for you. We also offer a line of biodegradable waste compactor bags for your convenience! So if you are ready to make the switch to KenBay today, then please visit our website. There, you’ll find our full range of products to check out for yourself. You can try one of the products before you buy it. If you like what you see, then no problem! Keep the compactor that we send you and pay the difference!

How to Save Money on Getting Your Plastics to the Recycling Facility

Plastic: Helpful, but Hazardous plastic recycled in a recyling facility

The invention of plastic is one of the biggest technological advancements in the past 100 + years. The ways which plastic has made our lives more convenient are so numerous that it’s impossible to name them all here. Put simply: the way we live now would not be possible without it. At the same time, plastic poses a significant problem for the environment, namely, the fact that it does not biodegrade easily. Plastic waste is a big problem for the planet, and handling it responsibly is an absolute necessity for big manufacturing plants. KenBay is a big supporter of recycling in any form. We fully support zero waste companies committed to reducing landfills and promoting environmentally friendly handling of waste. The solution to the plastic problem is to send your plastic to a recycling facility instead of a landfill.

You probably already knew this, however. Recycling plastic is much more commonplace than it was even a few decades ago. Our children are taught to do it in elementary school. Is there any way to make recycling plastic easier, however? Actually, there is, and it can save you money as well.

Compress, Compress, Compress!

One of the big mistakes people make when recycling plastic is not breaking it down before sending it to the recycling facility. I don’t mean chemically, either, I mean actual physical pressure. Too often, people will throw their recycled bottles and milk jugs into the bin as is. You know what happens when you do that? You end up hauling mostly air, and wasting space and time making multiple trips to the recycling center. A better solution is to compress the plastic containers as much as you can and flatten them. When I was growing up, my father would have me stomp on the old milk jugs in order to get this effect. Flattening the plastic like this allows you to haul more, so you save that needed time and effort.

Choose the KenBay Way

Compressing waste is especially important for manufacturing plants who need to cut costs whenever possible. Reducing the amount of air you haul to the recycling facility is a great way to save money! And one of the best methods to compress that plastic is to use a KenBay RotoPac. You can easily toss your plastic waste inside of one, and then sit back as the RotoPac continually presses and compacts it all into an airless cube. No space wasted here, and no need for extra trips back and forth! The cubes themselves are easily stackable, meaning you also save space and money that way as well.

If you think that a KenBay RotoPac is the right fit for you, then go to our website where you can try it before you buy it. If you like what you see, then you can pay to keep the RotoPac we send you — no need to send it back at all! We think you will agree that a KenBay RotoPac will make all the difference when it comes to recycling your plastic. So this year, save money and be environmentally responsible, with KenBay!

Resources You Can Use to Be Landfill Free

landfill freeIn case you did not already know, KenBay is a company that is committed to a zero landfill initiative. We promote the practice of seeking alternate solutions to landfills. We like to partner with other companies who share this viewpoint, and we want to encourage those who aren’t landfill free to consider making the switch.

We admit that changing your entire mindset about waste does seem like a rather daunting challenge. It is so much easier to send your waste off to a landfill and not have to think about it anymore. How can you get rid of all your waste otherwise? How much will it cost? These are valid concerns and we are here to say—relax! It is much easier than you think to go landfill free. Here’s how!

Recycle

“Well of course I know to recycle,” you theoretically just shouted out loud from your office chair. But, after you’ve brushed off the confused glances of your coworkers (inside voice, friend), hear me out. Yes, the concept of recycling is so basic that we teach it to our kindergarteners. That doesn’t mean it’s not important. Far from it! Recycling is the base level from which you can work up from. In addition, did you know about the concept of Sham Recycling? It’s a real thing, it incurs a penalty fine, and the EPA has guidelines about it online. If you are serious about being landfill free, don’t neglect your basic recycling protocol!

Waste to Energy

“Okay,” you say smugly after having just read through the EPA guidelines linked above, “the concept of Sham Recycling proves that not everything can be recycled. Some of it needs to go to a landfill because there is no other way to handle it!” Calm down there, Litter-McGee. First of all, for being a hypothetical reader I made up to use in this article, you’re rather unreasonably aggressive in your protests. Secondly, let me introduce you to the concept of waste-to-energy. It’s a rather simple idea: first you recycle what you can. Everything else goes to a special facility where it is combusted and turned into electrical energy that can power our lives! This method can help reduce landfills volume by up to 90 %, and one ton of waste can power a house for a month! That doesn’t sound like a lot, until you consider the massive volume of what we throw away every year. If everyone practiced waste-to-energy, we could both reduce our landfill space and help lower our energy bills.

Reuse

“That’s a good point,” you say, visibly calmer now. “But is that really all there is to it?” Hey, I’m glad you asked! One final great tip for going landfill free is to reuse what you can. For example, super sacks are biodegradable, environmentally friendly and can handle heavy loads. They’re perfect for transporting or carrying your materials around the plant. While they are only guaranteed for one-time, some super sacks are durable enough for multiple uses under the right conditions. Finding out what you can reuse will also help save you on shipping and transport costs when you are theoretically sending your waste off to be recycled or converted to energy.

You Can Be Landfill Free With KenBay

Like I said before, KenBay is committed to partnering with and encouraging zero waste companies. One great way we do that is through our RotoPacs. They are small and leave a small footprint at the source of the waste, meaning you just dump it and go — right there! Our compactors then continually press the waste down into small handy cubes about 7 or 8 times before it’s ready to haul. Why cubes, you may ask? Because it’s the shape that will help save you money on your shipping and hauling costs. Cubes are stackable, and easy to transport. You’re hauling your waste instead of wasting money hauling air! If you are interested in one of KenBay’s rotopacs, you can try it before you buy it. If you like the RotoPac, you can pay to keep the one we send!

 

How Environmentally Conscious are You with Handling of Waste?

One of KenBay’s mission statements is to operate with zerenvironmentally conscious venn diagramo waste and encourage others to follow suit. Zero Waste means that our company is committed to reusing and recycling our resources and will not send any waste into a landfill. We partner with other organizations who share the same philosophy — and there are many of us out there! We also work to educate others on the responsibilities of being an environmentally conscious company through efforts like this blog! So if you’ve ever wondered about how or why you need to consider the environment more in your processes, keep reading.

Zero Waste: The Positives

First, I want you to understand exactly what you have to gain by switching to environmentally conscious practices. Altering your wasteful processes reduces costs, attracts new environmentally conscious customers, and improves your organization’s sustainability. This article from the Queensland government website in Australia does a great job breaking down how these benefits come about. Also, if you think about it, you are unlikely to lose any customers specifically because of your environmentally conscious practices. So, with the opportunity to help the Earth and lots of great benefits for you, is there really a reason not to go green?

How to Get Started?

If you agree that sustainable practices are the right way to go, you may be confused about where to begin. Like other new practices, the internet is both your greatest tool and biggest frustration. In this digital age, you can find whatever information you need right in your own living room. An entire wealth of information is more easily accessible now than  at any other time in human history. Fantastic! On the other hand, the internet is overly saturated with information everywhere you turn. Which is the correct way to go green? What are the most effective methods? How do you even get started? Ultimately, you need to thing of your company first and choose what is best for its needs. However, we can tell you that a great resource to turn to would be a company who is committed to an environmentally conscious philosophy. A company that has extensive experience putting that philosophy into practice.

Hey, wait a minute!

Tips from KenBay

Imagine that you are playing a board game and you begin with five points. You must keep all five points in order to be a fully environmentally conscious company. Obviously, points are subtracted for dumping waste in a landfall or a pond, but there are other more subtle ways to lose them as well. If you are trusting (without verifying) another company will sort your waste for recycling, you lose a point. If you aren’t recycling items because there is is product inside the plastic, you lose a point. If you steer away from super sacks because you don’t know how to deal with the empty sacks, you lose a point. You get the picture.

You keep points by keeping track of your product and all the items which make it up, from the minute they enter your factory to the moment they are recycled. One great way to help be environmentally conscious is to use compactors with KenBay. KenBay provides portable compactors that leave a small footprint at the site of your waste. You can compact your waste into small, easy to transport cubes to send off to the recycling center. If you want to experience the KenBay difference, you can try one of our compactors before you buy it. If you like the compactor we send you, you can just pay for it and keep it for good! You can be an environmentally conscious — and KenBay can help!

3 Reasons Compaction is Still Sexy

compactionIs there anything sexier than watching something be squished into a nice geometrical cube? Look at this video and tell me I’m wrong. Alright, maybe “sexy” is not quite the right term for it, but compaction is still incredibly cool. Besides being the adult equivalent of smashing up your Play-Doh creations, compacting your waste is also a great way to be responsible about your environmental impact.

There are a lot of benefits to compacting waste, stuff you probably haven’t ever thought about. Maybe you’re already compacting and never thought about it before. Maybe you’re not compacting and wondering why you should bother. What does it matter to you how the waste looks? It all ends up in the same place anyway, right? Sorry, but that’s simply not true. Compaction offers a lot of great benefits to your plant, and you should be doing it. Want to know why? Then check these tips from KenBay!

Compaction Reduces Hauling Costs

Think of your big pile of waste like it’s on last call at a bar: “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” Your waste has to go somewhere, and if you’re an environmentally conscious organization you know better than to dump it in a natural resource. So, at some point you’re going to have to haul it on out of there. The trouble is getting all your waste to fit. Because here’s the thing: if you’re just dumping it all onto the truck as is, you know what you’re doing? You’re wasting space. That junk doesn’t just fit together like a nice little puzzle piece! And you know what you’re still paying for? All that air that gets hauled to the dump along with your waste. Which means you can add one more thing you’re wasting: money!

Compacting your junk makes it so that you are turning it into a puzzle piece. One where each piece is shaped like nice little easily-stackable cube. This video shows just how much trash can be hauled when it’s all compacted together. Get more junk on the truck, and pay for less air. It’s that easy!

Compaction Improves Safety

If you’re working in a plant, then you know how dangerous scrap metal can be. It’s sharp and it needs to be handled carefully and consciously. You know what isn’t careful or conscious? Throwing it all onto a big truck. You run risks of slicing open your hand both loading and unloading that metal. Compacting it into a cube shape is safer because you’re helping to reduce those sharp edges. Also, the cubes can be easily stacked onto a fork lift, so you’ll have less time handling it at all! (Sorry.)

Compaction Reduces Labor

Hey, here’s another great way to save money: quit paying for hours and hours of labor to load, transport, and unload the truck. Small, compacted cubes are far easier (and require less manpower) to load and unload, meaning you don’t spend nearly as much money on outside junk haulers. Those savings build up over time!

We hope you agree that compacting your junk is definitely the way to go. And you know what else? KenBay has the machines needed to get the job done. Our RotoPacs are compact and can be used right at the source of the junk, and they leave a small footprint. You can try one out for yourself if you don’t believe us! Then, maybe you’ll agree that compacting can be sexy after all.