If you run a business, it’s a good idea to put in as many waste management practices and ideas as you can – you want to be seen as eco-friendly (and to actually be eco-friendly, of course) so that your customers decide you’re the best choice and so that you can stand out in a crowd. Plus, the fact that you’re being more careful about your waste management is a good thing for the environment, so it ticks a lot of boxes and does a lot of good. 

Of course, wanting to be more eco-friendly is one thing, but actually knowing how to get better at waste management in your business is another, so if you’re not sure where to start, keep reading to find out more. 

Do An Audit 

The first thing you’ll need to do if you want to improve your business’s waste management strategies is to know what your current waste management strategies are – if you don’t do that, how will you know what to change and what to keep the same? 

That’s why it’s important to do a waste audit and look at the types and quantity of waste your business produces. This can help you spot areas where you can do better, but it also tells you where your efforts are working well, and when you combine all this knowledge and information, you’ll be able to get much better at what you’re doing. 

Implement A Recycling Program

One great way to tackle waste management is to put a good recycling program into place in your business and ensure that you and your team all follow it to the letter. If you’re recycling more, you’re not sending so much waste to landfills, and in the end, that’s really the point of being more sustainable in your business (or one point, at least). 

It’s not so difficult to set up a recycling program once you get started, and to begin with, making sure you’ve got clearly labeled bins for paper, plastic, glass, and metal (as well as general waste) throughout the workplace – plus train your employees about using them. You can also invest in an industrial cardboard shredder and other equipment to make your waste more manageable and then call on a local recycling company to come and collect it, saving you a lot of trouble and making recycling a lot easier. 

Reduce Waste At The Source

Of course, although recycling and educating your team is a great thing to do, the best thing to do is to eliminate waste at the source – have less of it in the first place, and there will be less to do when you have to get better at waste management. 

Your audit will tell you where the majority of your waste is coming from, and once you know that, you can focus on reducing it before it becomes too much of a problem. This could mean putting in measures like reducing packaging, using recyclable materials, or trying digital solutions rather than paper ones. You can also look at the suppliers you’re using and make sure you pick ones with good sustainable practices in place, as that will reduce your waste at the same time.