The Different Types Of Business Waste (And How You Can Deal With It Effectively)

Businesses generate large volumes of commercial waste – around a quarter of all waste in the UK, in fact. This includes paper, cardboard, plastic, and other waste materials. This waste must be disposed of in a way that is environmentally-friendly to help reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills and incinerators. Efficient waste management will lower costs, reduce harmful emissions, and improve the green credentials of your company. On that note, here are the key types of business waste and tips on how you can deal with it effectively.

Cardboard

Cardboard is the biggest waste stream for the majority of businesses. Most companies use a large amount of cardboard as part of their daily business operations. This includes cardboard packaging and boxes used to store and transport products. Fortunately, cardboard is a widely recyclable material that can be repurposed in various ways. One simple way to boost the efficiency of cardboard disposal in your workplace is by renting a cardboard baling machine. A baler is an innovative recycling machine that has been designed to compact cardboard into convenient bales. Using a baling machine will save your employees time and could on average reduce your business costs by around £1,248 per year.

On top of the cost-savings, renting a baling machine is also an excellent way to improve your workplace recycling efforts and lower your carbon footprint. Utilising a waste baler means that you will require far fewer waste collection which in turn, should reduce harmful emissions by up to 75 percent. Cardboard shredders are another popular recycling machine used by businesses to dispose of their cardboard waste. A shredder can be used to repurpose your waste into a sustainable and cost-effective packaging solution for your business.

Glass

Glass is another common waste material produced by businesses across a wide variety of industries. Glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle in the UK. Despite this, research shows that there is room for improvement when it comes to glass recycling. According to smarterbusiness.co.uk, over 200,000 tonnes of glass is currently sent to landfill each year from the hospitality industry alone. If your business produces glass waste, then you must create a recycling policy to ensure that glass is disposed of sustainably.

The best way to ensure that waste glass is not sent to landfill is to separate it from your general waste and recycling bins. Segregating waste at the source is the most cost-effective way to recycle. Our glass machines crush glass into small pieces which means you can fit more into a bin. This reduces costly bins and means fewer collections. Our GC140 Glass Crusher crushes 640 bottles into just one 140l bin. We can arrange for your glass waste to be collected and transported to a glass treatment plant on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Once at the treatment plant, the glass is cleaned to remove impurities and sorted by colour. After being crushed, the glass waste is melted and used to create new glass products such as bottles, jars, bottles, and other containers. Making new glass products from waste materials uses far less energy than creating glass products from raw materials. Recycling glass is a great way to repurpose your commercial waste and improve the green reputation of your brand.

Plastic

Businesses tend to generate large amounts of plastic packaging waste and this is having a damaging effect on our planet. Research has found that around 8 million pieces of plastic waste end up in our oceans every day. This is causing significant pollution and harming aquatic life in many ways.

Fortunately, there has been a major focus on reducing plastic pollution in recent years. More and more businesses are trying to minimise the amount of plastic packaging that they use and switching to more sustainable packaging options. Fortunately, most plastics can now be recycled effectively. Plastic recycling is the process of recovering waste plastic materials and repurposing them to make new products. This helps to reduce the amount of plastic waste making its way into our environment.

Businesses should install plastic recycling stations in the workplace and arrange for plastic waste to be collected and taken to the correct treatment facilities. There is a fantastic selection of green waste companies that specialise in plastic waste collection and recycling.

Conclusion

Most businesses produce significant amounts of waste in the form of cardboard, glass, plastic, and other materials. Companies must take responsibility for their commercial waste and develop a strong waste strategy that disposes of waste in a sustainable way. Improving your waste management can bring about several rewards including reduced costs and lower emissions. Try implementing the above suggestions to boost the efficiency of your business and ensure that your commercial waste is being dealt with effectively.