Skip to main content

Reducing Waste in the Workplace

At Enviro Care, our industrial waste disposal and management services are second to none. Whether you’re a small individual business or a giant network with hundreds of employees, we can help with everything from basic disposal to recycling, compliance and environmental awareness.

One particular area we can help work with you on regardless of your business type or size is reducing your overall waste. Different businesses have various kinds of waste that might cause significant costs, but proper reduction methods can lower these costs while also making your company more sustainable. Here are some basic tips.

Waste Analysis

Did you realize that across the country, Americans generate over 250 million tons of waste per year? Much of that ends up in landfills, and there are large sections of these reserved for waste from various workplaces.

To figure out how you can become more sustainable and reduce your waste, you have to first do a basic analysis of your current waste processes. Some questions to ask yourself and your employees:

  • What are the largest sources of company waste?
  • Which waste or recycling areas are causing the company to lose money?
  • How full are compactors, dumpsters, recycling containers and other receptacles when it comes to pick-up time?
  • Do you have proper recycling containers? Are they visible and accessible?

From these basic kinds of questions, you can determine the areas where you need to make some adjustments. Our next few sections will deal with some of the more common waste areas.

Office Waste

Particularly for large offices that still primarily use paper for big parts of the business, office waste can be a major concern. But there are solutions available here, several little hacks to reduce this kind of waste:

  • Use email and other digital, paperless forms of communication for memos, reminders and any other simple areas where this conversion is possible.
  • Go economical – use double-sided copying whenever you can, and print fewer copies of a given document to circulate around the office instead of printing one for every employee.
  • Invest in high-performance copiers, computers, printers and other paper-related equipment. Also have this equipment maintained regularly.

Packaging Waste

Packaging doesn’t have to be complex, but some businesses make it that way. If you regularly send packages as part of your business, think about how you can minimize your materials and weight – you don’t necessarily need cardboard dividers, bubble wrap and pallets in every single package, for instance. Try to reduce the number of single-use containers you use, and encourage your vendors to ship products in similarly minimalistic or returnable packages.

Food Waste

Particularly prevalent in restaurants and other similar establishments, food waste can also extend to things like paper or Styrofoam utensils. We encourage companies with significant extra food amounts to donate them or compost them – not only will this benefit others or the environment, it will save you the significant expense of hauling food waste, which is expensive given the weight.

For more on how to reduce your workplace waste, or to learn about any of our waste transportation services, speak to the pros at Enviro Care today.