If you’re looking to reduce your waste as a business this year, there are definitely some improvements that you can make. Businesses do tend to make a lot of waste and that generation of waste impacts the environment perhaps more than you think.
It’s often a case of it being ‘out of sight and out of mind’ but with the worrying rise of climate change rearing its ugly head, it’s important to try and do more to help reduce your waste.
For businesses that are keen to reduce their waste and help the environment where they can, here are six ways to reduce your business waste in 2023.
Cut down on paper and waste
Do you really need to be printing off so many documents and using so much paper within the workplace? Could you be cutting down on the amount of waste you’re throwing out every day?
These are two small areas that you may not think are having a big impact on the environment but it certainly is. Did you know that by just going through a ream of paper – that’s 500 sheets – it works out as 5% of a tree?
It may be that you’re getting through boxes of reams each week and you’re just one business, so that means a lot of trees are being chopped down. That destruction to the environment might not even be necessary so you may find it useful to go paperless.
Identify how much waste you’re producing as a business
How much waste would you say you’re producing as a business? Do you have any idea? If the answer is no, then you’ll want to do some research first. Take a look at your energy bills first and foremost. See what you’re spending and what that equates to in waste of energy.
Take a peek into your recycling or waste bins and consider what waste could have been recycled or otherwise reused. You will start to find that your carbon emission footprint is likely to be a lot larger than you anticipated.
Not only that but it’s likely draining your financial resources a lot more than expected. By identifying how much waste you’re producing, you can work on improving that waste and minimizing it as best as you can.
Ensure everybody makes a conscious effort to reduce
There are many people within your organization, and you alone are not responsible for the whole contribution of waste and carbon emissions. It’s useful to communicate with your employees in order to figure out how waste can be reduced in the workplace.
Educating your employees on eco-friendliness and incorporating some sustainable-friendly practices within the workplace is worthwhile. You could do this in the form of training or simply by holding company meetings to discuss the importance of being greener within the working environment.
Put in the right recycling and waste processes
While it’s great to educate your employees on being greener, it’s also necessary to put in the right recycling and waste processes. From having a waste compactor for all of the waste produced to hiring specialist recycling services for the more challenging equipment that you need to get rid of.
Whether that’s IT equipment to the more unique goods that shouldn’t really be thrown out in your general waste, there’s a lot more you could be doing as a business to improve the recycling and waste efforts of your business.
Work with sustainable and eco-friendly suppliers
Reducing waste is something you can also do through the suppliers you work with. Not every supplier has gotten on board when it comes to introducing more sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
As a business owner, it’s important to lead by example and so it’s worthwhile looking at the suppliers who are doing more to be eco-efficient for the environment. If the current suppliers aren’t willing to change their ways, it may be worth looking elsewhere instead.
Don’t create too much stock
Finally, be sure to reduce the amount of stock you’re creating as a company. If you’re selling physical goods, then you may be wasting stock in some areas of the business. Not only does that impact the environment but it also has an impact on your bank balance.
If you’re able to reduce the amount of stock generated, then you could help both your wallet and the environment.
These tips are helpful to have in place if you’re looking to reduce your waste as a business for 2023. Try to incorporate as many into your business this year as possible.
