Sustainability and KenBay: The Zero Landfill Initiative

What Is the Zero Landfill Initiative?

The Zero Landfill Initiative is a comprehensive attempt by local and international nonprofit organizations to turn landfill waste materials into sustainable energy. This initiative is designed to help facilitate businesses, communities, and international enterprises to reclaim landfill space and redirect these areas toward creating more sustainable work and living spaces. Resource waste material recovery is modeled on the worldwide effort to provide the highest standard of living for countries and communities grappling with their volume of waste production and landfill concerns.

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How to Make Bulk Bags Disappear in an Instant

bulk bagsA Great New Deal!

Are you tired of having to deal with bulk? You know, like those massive bulk bags that sit around taking up space? Bulk bags are great for importing and holding massive loads of stuff. But then they just sit there, taking up space, and being an eyesore. They’re way too big to throw out in the regular trash. And besides, all of that hard plastic is terrible for the environment! What can you do?

Well, worry not because KenBay has got you covered with new ‘Bulk B Gone’! That’s right, KenBay, the locally owned champions of the zero-waste initiative, brings you the next step in bulky waste management. For a few low cost payment installments, you to can own the fantastic spray that makes bulk bags disappear like magic! Our specialized chemical blend breaks down the polymers of the plastic into an environmentally friendly —

Oh.

You’re not really buying any of this, are you?

Ok, the truth is there is no spray that can make hard plastic bulk bags, also known as “super sacks,” disappear “like magic.” But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make them go away. Bulk bags are a big problem for waste management. They are difficult to deal with for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest issues is the general lack of awareness about them. Can you name what most bulk bags are made of? Do you know how to properly recycle or reuse them? The answer to both is probably no. Most of us use the benefits of the bulk bags without considering the environmental impact. So what can we do?

Battle of the Bulk

One of the best things that we can do is to break those bulk bags down . . . hard. This, as you can imagine, is not an easy task! Hard plastic polymers make up the bulk bags. That means they’re not going to break down with your regular methods. What you need is some heavy duty equipment designed to break down that plastic. Equipment which compress waste so it’s easy to toss or recycle. Fortunately, KenBay has such equipment available! Our RotoPacs are heavy-duty, and powerful to boot! As you can see in these videos, the rotating arm of the RotoPac is continuously moving. So what does this mean for the waste inside? For starters, the RotoPac cruses the waste into a convenient cube shape.

The RotoPac is powerful enough to handle any bulk bag tossed inside it. And the RotoPac is portable, so  you can use it right at the source of the waste. Also, it’s mostly self-automated, and only requires one worker to remove the waste. And that frees up the rest of your staff to go on with their regular jobs! So check out KenBay’s wide selection of waste compactors today. If you like what you see, you can try one before you buy it. We’ll ship you the trial RotoPac wherever you want, and you’ll experience the power for yourself. Best of all, KenBay makes it easy to keep the RotoPac: simply pay the difference and keep the one we send you! Rely on KenBay for bulk bags or any of your waste needs.

What Percentage of Your Logistics Costs Come from Waste?

Logistics Costs

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.

   

5 Ways to Make Huge Progress on Your Zero Landfill Initiative

Zero Landfill InitiativeAre 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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!