The Importance of Waste Management and How it Saves Your Business Money

Smart businesses take a robust approach to management and tend to regard their operational costs as areas of strategic importance. This often means they have shopped the market for their essential business utilities and services to ensure they are getting optimum price and value.

Business waste is one such area. Every business generates waste – and different kinds of waste depending on the nature of the enterprise. Apart from the statutory onus this places on business owners, there is strategic value in coming up with an effective waste management plan.

What is waste management?

Waste management encompasses the entire life cycle of your waste – from how it is generated to how it is disposed of. This will include how it is stored, transported, and the means of disposal.

Why is business waste management important?

You can’t afford to ignore it

Business waste disposal is costly and can account to 4-5% of a business’s turnover. With hefty landfill taxes always on the rise, it costs your business to ignore business waste as an area of potential saving.

The future of business is green

With climate change a very real threat, environmental consciousness has become more than a passing fad. The latest business waste statistics show that commercial and industrial sectors in England alone generated 37.9 million tonnes of waste in 2017 – an increase from previous years. How businesses dispose of that waste makes a critical difference to the environment.

It matters to your customers

Ethical practices around waste management matters now more than ever to the people and organisations who transact with your business. Businesses of all sizes are under the scrutiny of their increasingly environmentally mindful clients to implement sustainable, responsible environmental practices – and this includes waste.

It matters to your employees

Business owners owe their employees a duty of care around their business waste. In some cases, incorrect storage and disposal of waste can have negative health effects on you and the people who work for you.

It affects your operational costs

Looking at the contents of your bins can be telling. An effective waste management plan will assess and inform how waste is produced and assist in identifying areas of potential savings and change. By reducing the amount of raw materials you use and increasing re-use of certain items, this affects your cost of outlay.

You have a legal responsibility to manage waste responsibly

Regulations around business waste management are enforced for environmental and health reasons. There is a duty of care that applies to all business waste, with failure to adhere to these regulations attracting penalties.

The three steps to an effective waste management plan

1. Review: Identify your major sources of waste and devise ways to reduce this both internally and by liaising with suppliers. Take the time to note how waste is generated, how it is stored, and how it is disposed of and brainstorming areas of improvement. Come up with an action plan according to the ease of implementation and the cost benefit to your business.
2. Commit: Come up with a waste policy and work with management and staff for accountable, effective implementation. This policy should be in line with business waste law and should streamline waste reduction, re-use, and recycling – and make for ideal storage and regular disposal.
3. Outsource: By far the best way to optimise your waste management is to outsource to waste management specialists. From waste advice to disposal, a waste service provider removes the legwork and offers insights through experience.

The benefits of outsourcing your waste management

• Reputable waste management companies are well-versed in business waste law and will work to ensure you meet all requirements. This can assist in avoiding costly penalties for non-compliance.
• Every business is different – and the same can be said about the waste they produce and the waste management strategy they need. Waste management specialists can provide advice, insights, and services to suit your unique business needs and offer cost-effective solutions. From the containers you need to the regularity of collection and vital waste tips, the right partner means no hassle around your rubbish.
• Many waste management companies have the network to provide the same standard of service to multi-site operations for holistic solutions.
• Waste management specialists have their finger on the pulse of market-related developments. This means, by partnering with the right team, you get real-time advice on changes and the effect this will have on your business, giving you the ability to plan and strategise around shifts in the market.
• If you have a waste emergency, many waste management companies have the infrastructure to effortlessly assist and avoid penalties and negative effects on your reputation.

Looking to outsource your waste management?

The key to implementing a successful waste management plan with the help of a waste management company is to partner with the right one. This means working with a reputable organisation. Effective waste management operates quietly in the background like clockwork. Some factors to consider when outsourcing waste management are:

Starting the partnership

Partner with a company with your best interests at the forefront of their concerns. At the start, they should take the time to understand the nature of your business, the waste it produces, and the best services and solutions to meet your needs. They should be able to seamlessly provide options and quotes and arrange collections at your desired frequency, as well as have the expertise to answer any questions or queries you may have regarding your commercial waste.

Maintaining the relationship

It pays to work with a waste management company that is easily contactable and which has a strong customer-centred approach for great service throughout your relationship.

Compliance

Take the time to find out whether the waste management company you are working with has the requisite registrations, how they handle waste transfer notes and other required documentation, and what happens to your waste once it is collected from your premises. Even if you outsource these services, the duty of care to responsibly manage your waste remains with you.

Why you should partner with Smarter Business

• Save time, resources, and boost efficiencies around your business waste management.
• Our expert team combines expertise and innovation to come up with a waste management strategy uniquely suited to your business.
• Reliable, safe, professional waste management services which are designed to be seamless.
• Responsible, cost-effective solutions.
• Strategise around general waste, as well as recycling, for a comprehensive approach to waste management.
• Operates nationwide.
• Emergency waste removal services through an on-call, 24-hour call centre.
• Get an entire suite of business services under a single umbrella.