Why is Waste Management Important?
All businesses need a clear plan and efficient processes in place for effective waste management. Everything from independent downtown coffee shops to large grocery stores in the suburbs, hotels, restaurant franchises, and offices create trash. How this garbage is stored, removed, and disposed of is incredibly important.
In the US we generate 300 million tons of waste every year – and globally it’s more than two billion tons. There’s no sign of this volume slowing down either with predictions that it could grow up to 70% by 2050. That’s a huge amount of garbage, so ensuring it’s managed safely and sustainably is vital.
Hopefully, your business already has a good process in place for its waste management, but if not we’re here to highlight why you should. Discover why waste management is important for businesses and homes and consider improving yours where necessary.
Why is sustainable waste
management important?
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.
What are the benefits of effective
waste management for businesses?
The benefits of effective waste management stretch beyond just helping the environment as there are many direct advantages for your business as well. Every organization needs a good system in place to manage their trash. This includes separating streams, safe storage, reliable pickup, and responsible disposal.
The benefits of good waste management ensure your business meets its legal obligations, operates sustainably, and can save money on your waste management costs. These are the main benefits of effective waste management for your business:
- Save money – recycling trash generally costs less than sending it to landfill as you avoid any gate fees. It’s also more cost-effective to have a good waste management plan and system in place initially, as it should minimize costs to fix things if anything goes wrong. This includes potential fines for noncompliance, charges for overflowing or extra dumpsters, and more that are avoided with good waste management.
- Improves health and safety – effective waste management involves regular pickups and suitable sizes and numbers of dumpsters to store trash safely on your site. This protects employees’ and customers’ health and safety as it helps maintain clean and hygienic premises. Plus, it should reduce the chances of attracting pests like vermin and minimize any risks of spreading disease.
- Ensures legal compliance – the Environmental Protection Agency regulates industrial and manufacturing solid and hazardous wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). There are also different state and local regulations that cover waste and recycling. Effective waste management should ensure compliance with the relevant laws and regulations to reduce the risk of fines and penalties.
- Boost your eco-reputation – more and more customers are interested in the sustainability of the businesses they use. Good waste management within your company can demonstrate your eco-credentials and help improve your green reputation. This could help secure new customers or satisfy existing ones with eco-concerns.
- Future-proof your business – a good waste management system helps identify issues and prevent any disasters (such as overflowing dumpsters). Business growth and seasonality can change the types and volume of trash your organization generates so having a plan to deal with this can avoid any problems, costs, and hassle.
Why is food waste
management important?
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.
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