What is Waste Management?
Waste management is a term that covers the processes of dealing with trash from the point of production to disposal. It includes all the actions, plans, and strategies required to take care of garbage during its lifetime. The processes involved in waste management include storage, collection, transportation, and disposal or recycling.
Every business of any size and industry relies on good waste management to operate effectively. You must have dumpsters and bins in place to separate materials and store trash securely with regular pickups organized to avoid garbage from overflowing. Waste management is also about reducing the amount of trash you generate.
Knowing what waste management is and how efficient processes work is vital whether you’re setting up a new start-up or want to improve your current operations. Learn more about what waste management is and why it’s important your business gets it right with these expert answers to FAQs.
What is commercial waste?
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.
What is sustainable waste management?
Sustainable waste management is about reducing the amount of trash businesses produce and ensuring it has as little environmental impact as possible. It focuses on recycling, reusing, and recovering waste to contribute to a circular economy. This involves preserving resources, which should cut down on pollution and carbon emissions too.
There are various elements of sustainable waste management. It starts with minimizing the amount of trash a business produces in the first place. Conducting a waste audit to identify the types and volumes of different trash materials generated helps. Use this information to focus on areas where you can reduce waste.
Working with suppliers that provide items and products your company uses in minimal or recyclable packaging is a good way to reduce waste at the source. Assess your processes and dumpsters to see where you should separate trash materials too to boost recycling. And partner with waste collection firms that prioritize recycling and recovery over landfills.
How much is waste management?
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.
How does waste management work?
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.
Why is waste management important?
Waste management is important for every business in the USA and around the world. Having efficient processes in place to store, remove, and dispose of your commercial trash responsibly benefits the environment and protects human health. Using secure dumpsters reduces the risks of exposure to offensive, harmful, and smelly garbage.
Every business generates trash so must have steps in place to deal with it responsibly. Focusing on a good waste management plan can help your organization recycle more, which is good for the planet and could also save you money. Efficient management of trash is also important to comply with various legal regulations.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates industrial and manufacturing solid and hazardous wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Failure to comply and violations could lead to enforcement action, which may lead to large fines and possible prison sentences.
How to improve waste management
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.
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