Every business needs a waste management plan to understand the types and amount of trash they produce and what happens to it all. Having this information and a strategy to deal with it written down helps highlight any problems and ensure everyone knows their responsibilities from the point of garbage production to disposal.

This should cover waste storage, collection, transportation, processing, recycling, and disposal. A good waste management business plan helps identify ways to reduce trash, minimize your environmental impact, and uphold your corporate and social responsibility. This is a key part of any sustainability goals.

A waste management business plan isn’t a legal requirement, but it’s advisable to have one for safety. Industrial and manufacturing solid and hazardous waste are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Having a waste management plan can help your business comply with the RCRA and provide proof if an issue arises.

A company waste management plan helps:

• Reduce waste – it details the types and volumes of trash your business generates, which highlights areas to focus on reduction.
• Recycle more trash – information from a business waste management plan can be used to spot recycling opportunities and ensure waste segregation.
• Save money on waste management – an overview of your waste management costs helps identify opportunities to trim your spending.
• Protect your business – comply with regulatory obligations and have proof with an effective waste management plan.
• Uphold health and safety standards – a plan should streamline your management to ensure regular removals of trash and minimize risks of garbage piling up, dumpsters overflowing, and hazards such as trips and falls.

An easy way to get started improving your strategy for commercial trash is to start with a waste management plan template. This covers the basics you should include in a plan, which you can then expand, build on, and tailor to meet the specific needs of your business.

As a simple guide and starting point, a waste management plan template should include as a minimum:

• A description of all the waste materials produced, including whether any are hazardous
• An estimated volume for each type of trash your business produces
• Measurement methods for the volume of each waste type (number/size of dumpsters, tons, or pounds)
• Storage methods for every garbage type, such as in dumpsters, bags, or other containers and where these will be located (as well as accessibility, including any locks on the dumpsters, doors, or gates to reach them)
• Waste collection information – the times and dates of pickups, and who is responsible for collecting the waste
• Disposal methods for each trash type, such as recycling, incineration, reuse, recovery, and landfill
• Costs of waste management for your business (covering storage, collection, disposal, and other waste management costs)

Want some help writing a waste management plan for your business? One of our experts can assist and work to develop an effective strategy for your commercial waste. This involves assessing your current set-up with a waste audit, advising on ways to reduce trash, and determining cost-effective options.

If you’ve got a plan already and just want a price for business waste collection, then we can help with that too. Get a free quote for waste collection today. Simply tell us the types and amount of trash you produce, how often you want it collected, and your location for a bespoke quote – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.

The main reason sustainable waste management is important is to protect the environment and our planet. If all the trash businesses created were dumped in landfill it would create an incredible amount of pollution, seriously harm habitats and wildlife, and increase the risks of fires and explosions.

Sustainable waste management means reducing the amount of garbage created and ensuring everything is disposed of appropriately. This includes recycling, recovery, and other alternatives to landfill. One of the primary benefits of sustainable waste management is that it contributes to a circular economy.

The importance of sustainable waste management for businesses is to:

• Protect resources – effective waste management involves recovering and recycling trash where possible by separating it into different streams. This helps preserve raw materials so they can be reused. It’s especially important for finite resources such as precious metals.
• Conserve energy – sustainable waste management saves energy by recycling and recovering materials. This requires less energy compared to sourcing and producing raw materials. For example, recycling wood takes less energy than growing and chopping down trees.
• Reduce pollution – any garbage in landfill sites rots and decomposes, which releases methane. This greenhouse gas is an incredibly harmful air pollutant. Sustainable waste management reduces the amount of trash sent to landfill by sorting materials for recycling, which means less pollution.
• Minimize landfill reliance – efficient waste management puts processes in place to reduce your trash and separate it into streams. This means the likes of glass, plastic, and card should go for recycling while food waste may go for composting and hazardous waste for treatment and/or incineration. Having systems in place for the appropriate disposal means as little as possible goes to landfill.
• Encourage a circular economy – a circular economy is a system that aims to keep resources in use rather than the linear use-and-dispose model. Good waste management means recycling trash where possible, so the materials remain in use, which helps cut down on garbage and pollution.

Dealing with all types of trash your business produces should be done sustainably, but food waste management is especially important. It’s one of the most common waste streams that’s often chucked out with solid waste. This is bad for the environment as it rots and releases methane without effective management.

Sustainable food waste management is important to:

• Reduce food waste – good management should help highlight any areas where your business can cut back on its waste food. This helps reduce your waste management costs as you’ll need fewer pickups or smaller dumpsters for your food waste.
• Avoid landfill – the main alternatives for food waste are to send it for industrial composting or anaerobic digestion (generating energy from waste food). These dispose of old food in controlled environments that utilize methane emissions as the food decomposes, which has a better impact on the environment.
• Keep your site hygienic – regular and reliable pickups of your commercial food waste and appropriate dumpster sizes help store it securely. This keeps your premises clean and attractive for customers and staff while reducing bad smells and potential pests and health hazards.

Need a hand with your waste management? Get a free quote for business waste collection today and speak to our team if you’ve got any questions – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.

Commercial waste is any rubbish that a business produces. It’s sometimes referred to as trade waste or business waste. This is a catch-all term that covers any trash materials a company creates such as solid waste, glass, food, paper, cardboard, and many more. It differs from residential waste, which is garbage from homes.

It’s not just private businesses such as offices, grocery stores, manufacturers, hotels, and restaurants that produce commercial waste. All the trash generated by charities, schools, hospitals, churches, and not-for-profit organizations also classify as commercial waste. Commercial waste also includes industrial and manufacturing waste.

For domestic waste, you might just drag out your trash can to be emptied once a week. With commercial waste companies use a private waste management firm to collect their garbage. State and local laws may apply to how commercial waste should be managed depending on where your business is based in the US.

How much waste management costs depends on lots of factors. The main one is the amount of garbage your business generates – the more you produce, the higher the costs. Paying for waste management is an unavoidable expense for any business, so should be included in your budget.

Other factors that affect how much waste management costs include the types of waste streams you generate, the sizes and number of dumpsters you use, and how often you want them collected. Your location may also impact the price.

The easiest way to find out how much waste management is for your business is to get a free no-obligation quote tailored to your needs – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.

There are various processes for waste management to work. This is generally how waste management works for most businesses:

• Planning – a good waste management strategy covers where garbage is stored in the business, who collects it, when it’s removed, and how it’s disposed of. Planning should also consider the costs and budget.
• Storage – all trash is stored in dumpsters, bins, or bags on site. Waste streams should be separated by materials and stored in appropriate places to reduce the risk of contamination and exposure to offensive or potentially harmful waste types.
• Collection – commercial waste is removed by professionals. It’s important you have an efficient schedule that prevents any dumpsters from overflowing but is also cost-effective, so you don’t pay for half-full bin removals.
• Transportation – the waste will be transported safely to a nearby waste management facility. Where it goes will depend on your location and the types of waste materials.
• Disposal or recycling/recovery – depending on the materials the waste will be checked, sorted, and disposed of properly. This includes recycling for the likes of glass, paper, and cardboard, while medical waste may be incinerated, or waste food could be composted or go for anaerobic digestion.

Every business should take action to improve their waste management where possible. There are always things you can do better whether you’re just starting or want to act sustainably and save money as an existing company. These are a few ways to improve waste management within your organization:

• Conduct a waste audit – review the types and volumes of trash you generate to identify areas where you should aim to reduce waste or recycle more.
• Follow the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, recover, and dispose of trash in that order. The waste hierarchy aims to minimize trash and especially the amount going to landfill.
• Separate materials – ensure you have dumpsters, bins, and bags to separate materials so that as much as possible is reused and recovered.
• Work with suppliers – partner with firms that also want to reduce waste, such as companies that use minimal packaging or recyclable materials.
• Educate staff – train employees about the importance of safe waste management, recycling, and reducing trash to get them onside and make a positive difference.

The 5 Rs of waste management is a hierarchy to follow when dealing with trash. These are five steps any business should action when managing garbage to use products and materials to their full potential before they become waste. This reduces waste production and trash going to landfill while improving efforts to recycle.

It grew out of the three Rs of recycling – reduce, reuse, and recycle – with the additions of refuse and repurpose. There are a few variations of the 5 Rs but they all follow the same concept and aim of minimizing waste, recovering and using materials, and protecting the environment.

Refusing, reducing, reusing, repurposing, and recycling waste provides a sustainable grounding for your company. It avoids items being chucked out with solid waste when they could be recycled or reused and introduces a greater focus on minimizing waste production and recycling within your organization.

These are the 5 Rs of waste management and recycling:

The first step of the 5 Rs is refuse. This is a key action to eliminate waste at the source where possible by avoiding or preventing it. Refuse the use of products, items, or materials within your business that create waste. It’s achievable by switching to sustainable alternatives or changing suppliers.

Examples of refusing to eliminate waste include avoiding single-use plastics (such as disposable cutlery), not buying products in non-recyclable packaging, and preventing waste by not stocking plastic carrier bags. Work with vendors to ensure products create minimal or zero waste from their packaging and designs.

Completely eliminating waste isn’t always realistic, so the next stage is to reduce the amount you create. This helps protect the environment but may also save your business money. Strong inventory planning and management help reduce waste by avoiding over-ordering items that get thrown out rather than used.

For restaurants and hotels, it’s vital to cut back on food waste. Good inventory management also reduces waste from stores to minimize the risk of expired stock. Other common actions to reduce waste include buying products in minimal and recyclable packaging, switching to digital rather than physical paper records, and using reusable water bottles and cups.

If you can’t reuse items for their intended function, then repurposing them is the next best option. Repurposing or upcycling preserves more use and life out of materials and products to prolong their life and prevent waste. Lots of things can be reused for storage solutions in workplaces and homes.

Repurpose cardboard boxes for storing dry foods in the kitchen. Glass jars make great pencil holders or makeshift vases for flowers. Old wooden pallets can be upscaled into furniture while car tires make great planters with a bit of work. T-shirts and clothes can be repurposed as cleaning rags and cloths.

The final stage of the 5 Rs is to recycle. Following the four steps above should mean as little as possible is left to recycle. This is ideal as, while recycling is sustainable and much better for the environment than landfilling or incineration, it still requires lots of energy.

Recycling ensures the reuse of materials. To recycle effectively you should have separate dumpsters, bins, and containers to segregate waste materials your business produces. These can include collections of cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, and electronic waste. Single stream recycling is also an option to commingle some materials.

Apply the 5 Rs of waste management within your organization to reduce your organization’s environmental impact, repurpose trash, and save money.

Waste segregation is simply the process of sorting trash materials into different categories. This involves identifying, classifying, and dividing trash types to ensure it’s disposed of properly. It’s putting garbage into different bins, containers, or dumpsters based on their type, composition, and suitable disposal or treatment method.

Sorting waste at the source or point of production is simple and effective in reducing contamination and keeping materials apart. For example, having various bins for food waste, glass recycling, and solid waste could help a restaurant segregate these materials and keep any food and glass away from landfills.

Common waste types to segregate are:

• Food waste
• E-waste
• Glass recycling
• Paper and cardboard
• Single stream recycling
• Solid waste

At Business Waste, we can provide a wide range of dumpsters and bins to ensure proper waste segregation within your organization. These include everything from smaller 2 yard dumpsters to compactors and large roll offs. Regular collections are available on daily, weekly, or fortnightly frequencies.

All commercial trash is disposed of away from landfills in line with relevant regulations. This ensures your garbage is recycled and disposed of responsibly. Get a free quote for waste segregation bins and commercial trash collections – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.

A waste management audit (also known as a waste stream audit) is an analysis of all the items that enter your waste streams. It involves reviewing everything that goes into your dumpsters and bins before they’re collected. Professional waste management audits identify the types and quantities of trash your business produces and their disposal method.

Any organization that wants to improve its recycling, sustainability, and waste management practices starts with a waste stream audit. This provides a real-time assessment of garbage generation to identify areas where you can work to reduce waste, recycle more, and lower your waste management costs.

The standard waste management audit provides an overview of all the trash your organization produces. There are also specific audits that focus on certain waste streams, such as:

• Food waste audit – a record of all the kinds of food thrown out, where it came from, and why it’s being chucked out. This aims to determine the reasons for food waste and identify ways to reduce it.
• Recycling audit – an assessment of the current recycling streams and processes that also helps reduce the volume of solid waste. It can focus on specific recycling streams to explore ways to increase recycling rates.
• Hazardous waste audit – a review of the different types of hazardous materials disposed of by a business. It involves evaluating the storage to ensure it’s safe and that all hazardous waste is separated from other streams.

You can use professionals to conduct a waste audit or carry one out for your business yourself. Good planning, wearing safe protective gear, and following a clear process helps make any waste management audit a success. The time, effort, and requirements may vary depending on the size and type of company you run.

Follow these steps to conduct a waste audit:

• Designate a team – assign a team to conduct the waste audit. This could be any health and safety experts, senior leadership, or those in environmental roles but they must be familiar with the business and its operations. Supply everyone with appropriate PPE including gloves and facemasks.
• Set a time and day(s) – decide a day and time to carry out the audit. Ideally, this should be outside of a busy or quiet period to give an idea of an average day. Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday are common days for conducting waste audits.
• Review the site – walk around your site (depending on its size) and assess the dumpsters, bins, and any other trash containers in place. This provides a good overview of your facility and where garbage is stored, which is useful to plan an efficient audit.
• Weigh the waste – sort through the different waste streams your organization produces and weigh them. This gives a good idea of the volume of trash your company produces. If you take garbage from an average day, you can multiply it to work out a rough estimate of your weekly, monthly, or annual trash production.
• Sort through trash – dive deeper into the garbage in your dumpsters and bins. Identify any items thrown into the wrong container (such as glass in a solid waste dumpster). This highlights contamination and an area to improve recycling.
• Analyze audit results – review the results to work out how much trash your business creates, and which waste streams are most common. Use this information to identify areas where you should aim to reduce waste or where you need extra recycling solutions (if there’s lots of paper in a solid waste dumpster then maybe add a paper recycling dumpster to your collections).
• Make improvements – implement any changes such as changing the sizes of the dumpsters or bins you use or adding more into your collection schedule. Keep an eye on your recycling rates and trash production and conduct another audit in the near future to track your progress.

You can conduct a waste audit yourself but if you want a job done right it’s sometimes best to use a professional waste auditor. Many businesses provide expert waste audit services. These deliver great insight into the current state of your waste management processes from the types, volumes, and storage to disposal.

At Business Waste, we offer waste audit services for organizations of any size and industry. One of our experts can assess the types of trash you produce and advise on the best kinds and sizes of dumpsters you need and collection frequencies. Saving your business money and protecting the environment are at the heart of it.

Get a free no-obligation quote for a professional waste audit today – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.