If your business is producing a large amount of plastic waste, you might be unknowingly eating the costs to dispose of it. Reduction of plastic wastes should be a goal that your business strives for as it is a simple process that benefits everyone!
Recycling is a win-win situation!
Did You Know?
- Plastic is being recycled less with more plastics heading towards landfills.
- Half of plastic bottles are used once before being thrown away.
- Only 23% of plastic bottles end up being recycled.
- Annually, over 50 billion plastic bottles are sold to the public in the US alone.
- Plastics take over 450 years to degrade into microplastics.
- Plastic recycling is a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Reducing plastic waste is not only good for the environment but good for your business’ bottom line. If you fill your waste bins with plastic bottles, you’ll be spending more on waste disposal than necessary. By taking the measures outlined in this article, you can ultimately save money on waste disposal and help make a difference in the environment.
Provide Adequate Recycling Options
It might be obvious, but if you want to reduce plastic waste, you should start recycling and provide your business with adequate recycling options. Start by buying recycling bins for your employees. A good rule of thumb would be to have one bin per 50-75 employees to ensure maximum use.
Next, place your new recycling bins in high traffic areas such as break rooms, kitchenettes, bathrooms, and lobbies. By having recycling options easily accessible your employees will foster proper recycling habits simply due to convenience.
To add onto the process, be sure to have flyers and extra literature that details what can and cannot be recycled. It’s often that people don’t recycle because the process might be a bit confusing to them, so providing some form of education can make the process easier to digest.
Encourage Reusables
Most plastic waste comes from food and beverage containers that are often used once before being thrown away. To help reduce this source of plastic waste, your business can encourage the use of reusables by making it easier for employees to bring their own containers from home.
You can provide a filtered water supply, like a fountain, to encourage employees to use their personal water bottles at work rather than having to buy individual plastic bottles. If your employees don’t have a bottle they can use, perhaps you can buy branded bottles for the company to use. Free stuff is always welcomed, and your employees will be more than happy to partake in this. Not only will this increase awareness of your brand, but it will also help you save on waste management costs in the long run. You can also stock your break rooms and kitchenettes with cutlery and washable dishes that your employees are encouraged to use.
Think and Act Like a Group
Your employees are a valuable source of information regarding the daily operations of your business. If you have regular meetings or brainstorming sessions about plastic waste, you may be able to identify where the highest concentration of plastic waste resides. During these sessions, encourage your employees to speak out and provide additional tips on how your business, as a unit, can reduce plastic waste. They will not only give suggestion you may not have thought of, but they will also suggest alternatives that work best for them, keeping everyone happy and productive!
Encouraging this kind of participation can result in a more sincere and achievable level of individual success. Consider this an option when you come up with a team building exercise!
Start Saving Today
Even though a single business cannot possibly be responsible for the global reduction of plastic waste, it’s a genuine start. Not only will you be participating in a worldwide effort to be greener, but you’ll also be saving one your own waste disposal costs. Remember, reducing plastic waste is a win-win situation for all.
If you need help identifying where your business can improve on plastic waste reduction, Watchdog Management Services is more than happy to provide our helping hand in this endeavour. Be sure to get in touch today and we will find the best solutions for you, your company, and your bottom line.
