Thursday, June 17, 2010

Business Waste Reduction

By Mark Walters

We are all wise to the financial and ecological advantages of using fewer resources and reducing waste these days, but the challenge is to figure out how to achieve this without having a negative impact on other aspects of your business. Re-using and recycling packaging or waste water may seem straightforward but businesses often find that the additional time and money spent on reducing their carbon footprint cancels out any financial gains and often requires investment.

A good starting point is to assess what exactly is being used in your business at the moment. This needs to be a thorough assessment and to look at everything from lighting to vehicle use. It would be wrong to think doing something as simple as asking people to use the stairs instead of the elevator will make no difference. Lots of 'small' things, combined over the course of a year, make a big difference. It is because people are prone to overlook so many things that they consider to be insignificant that waste is so high.

A waste audit aims to reduce the impact on the environment and reduce the cost of waste disposal. An audit quantifies the exact type and amount of waste created by a business, from paper to food to discarded office equipment. It may involve replacing disposable products with long lasting ones, re-using paper and streamlining purchasing systems. Organizations with multiple sites have them carried out on a site-by-site basis and for many companies, audits are an essential and regular exercise to ensure that their carbon footprints are as small as possible.

The most effective way for businesses to proceed is to hire an environmental consultant to advise on the best course of action to take. By taking this approach businesses can avoid making the mistakes that most businesses make and start saving money and reducing their footprint on the environment in the quickest possible time. You would normally hire a consultant when you are venturing into an area that you are not familiar with, so why not in this situation too?

An environment consultant will also ensure that your business is adhering to all of the environmental legislation that is in place in your country. Environmental legislation is in place to keep the air and water clean, protect wildlife and restrict the use of hazardous chemicals, all with serious consequences for non-compliance. For example, businesses must store and transport all waste without having an impact on the environment, and dispose of electrical and electronic equipment safely. Companies may also need to obtain pollution prevention or waste disposal licenses, depending on the nature of their business.

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