With worries about climate change continuously growing, we are all being held accountable, whether that be a household, business or the government. Businesses are more likely to generate more waste than anyone due to the high turnover of stock, the number of people they may deal with on a day to day basis, product packaging and much more. But, what exactly can a business do to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills?
Businesses have a responsibility to their staff, customers, clients and the government to be environmentally efficient and the Environment Protection Act of 1990 encourages businesses to follow four steps before simply disposing of their commercial waste. These include:
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Prevent
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Reuse
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Recycle
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Recover
With so many different types of businesses out there – including restaurants, retail outlets, office blocks and warehouses – there are various approaches each one can take to tackle recycling. From restaurants switching to paper straws to an office installing new energy efficient technologies, there are many ways a business can reduce waste outputs and help combat climate change. Reducing waste can also help lower business costs too, and we’ll outline this further in this blog. So, whether you’re a manual labourer, an office worker or a restaurant host, here are some top ideas for improving waste recycling efforts and reducing the amount of waste produced today.
Items you can recycle and that a waste collection service can dispose of
First, let’s take a look at the exact items you can recycle and what recycling centres and collection services can actually pick up and dispose of responsibly:
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Paper and cardboard
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Glass
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Plastics
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Metal
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Construction waste
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Food
A waste collection service like us at Batesy Skip Hire will be able to pick up and responsibly dispose of all these items, without resorting to using a landfill service.
Tips for reducing waste disposal and improving recycling efforts
If you’re looking to immediately implement recycling and waste solutions within your business, here are some top tips and ideas for where to start.
Going paperless
Many businesses are looking to upgrade their systems and technology within their business to ensure they can turn into a paperless business. In the 21st century, it’s not uncommon for technology innovations to streamline business operations. Plus, technology is a responsible alternative for helping the environment and will cut costs for your business in the long-run.
Here are some examples of ways to go paperless:
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If you’re in the hospitality sector, instead of using a paper diary to make bookings or notepads to take food orders, use a computer system and smart tablets like iPads to do so (essentially, a POS system).
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If you work within customer service or are frequently on the phone, invest in headsets for your employees and they can make notes and take down details on a computer instead.
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In an office, you may need to store a lot of official documents – why not use a Cloud-based system for your storage?
Lots of recycling bins
Simply put, the more recycling bins you have, the more they’ll get used. Aim to have a set number of recycling bins on every floor and make sure they’re varied: paper and cardboard, plastic, glass etc. In addition, in all communal staff rooms and kitchen areas, make sure you have food bins in place also.
Incentive schemes
To ensure everybody is making the same effort to combating the amount of waste within your business, why not introduce a company-wide initiative and incentive scheme? Firstly, start by educating your staff about recycling and what can and can’t be recycled. Secondly, set a target for your workplace and if you meet them, reward your staff for going above and beyond. E.g. if the company is continuously recycling and working hard to, why not give everyone an afternoon off here and there? If your cleaning staff and senior management team implementing these techniques and are also part of the incentives also, it can encourage everyone to work towards one goal.
Make responsible purchases
More recently, there have been many stories about cafes, bars and restaurants switching from plastic straws to paper straws and how communities are putting pressure on popular restaurant chains to follow suit. With this in mind, when it comes to your business, try and think about purchases, and consider recyclable or reusable alternatives before you make them.
Stop unwanted mail being delivered
If your business is constantly receiving junk mail, unnecessary bank updates or client magazines, this excess paper waste can really start to build up. Tackle this problem first hand and cancel some subscriptions and aim to go online. Ask companies to send bank statements, leaflets, magazines and more through to your email address. Reading a PDF on your computer screen is just as easy as holding it within your hands, but it’ll also help combat paper waste too.
Clear signs
In a commercial environment, it’s important to have clear signage to make sure staff, customers and guests to your property know exactly what is going on. Whether you’re using waste containers and recycling bins or larger containers like skips or compactor sized bins, ensure that you use clear signage to encourage recycling, to guide your employees and guests on what should go where and to help stop them from being irresponsible with their waste.
Switch to glass
Did you know that plastic is downcycled and isn’t truly recyclable, whereas glass can be recycled into more glass over and over again? Try and switch as much as possible from plastic to glass materials to help the planet. From milk cartons in the staff fridge to plastic water bottles, making the switch to glass products is a lot less harmful to the environment and is a lot easier to recycle. As a nice but proactive gesture, why not invest in a filtered water cooler system in work and gift each employee their own glass to drink from throughout the day?
How can a waste management and commercial waste collection service help? Consider Batesy Skip Hire today – serving businesses in and around the Belfast area
By using an expert commercial waste management company, they can help you when it comes to reducing your waste outgoings. From skip hire services to being environmentally friendly, an expert waste management company really aim to recycle everything and send as little as possible to landfill.
If you’re embarking on major business renovations, a waste management company like us at Batesy Skip Hire can provide a skip for the occasion and can offer an extensive of sizes, from midi four-tonne skips to roll on roll off skips ideal for commercial waste. A skip can offer a safe and convenient place to collect all your waste into one place, and a waste collection service can efficiently rid you of your waste whilst working hard to recycle as much as possible. For more information regarding our range of skips, browse our website.
Whether your company is looking for a skip hire service to for someone to collect your waste, consider Batesy Skip Hire, a comprehensive waste management company today. Providing both domestic and commercial waste disposal services, we pride ourselves on our high-quality level of service and the range of customers we can help within the Belfast area. Contact us today by filling out our contact form or give us a call on 02890 111 111.
