“Waste management can be a complex business area… but it doesn’t have to be.”
All businesses in the UK are legally obliged to:
- Keep waste to a minimum by doing everything you reasonably can to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste (in that order)
- Sort and store waste safely and securely
- Complete a waste transfer note for each load of waste that leaves your premises
- Check if your waste carrier is registered to dispose of waste
- Not allow the waste carrier to dispose of your waste illegally (and report them to Crimestoppers if they do)
- You have extra responsibilities if you’re dealing with hazardous waste.
Read more here: Dispose of business or commercial waste: Your responsibilities – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What are the challenges?
Poor Waste Management Practices
Ineffective recycling
If you are not separating out your recycling from your rubbish, its a decision that’s not only bad for the planet, but also for your wallet. Recycling tends to be made up of bulkier items such as cardboard or plastic bottles. Did you know?: Recycling collections are typically cheaper than rubbish collections, sometimes by nearly half the price! If you are recycling correctly, you’ll be saving quite a lot of money. Before putting it in the bin, remember to flat pack your cardboard to ensure more space for your other recycling materials.
Time constraints
We understand that there may be time constraints you face as you are busy. By having clear signage or organising your bins in an easily accessible place to you; you may find it becomes easier to separate out your waste into the right bins and save the hassle of figuring out what goes in what bin or walking too far to empty your waste.
Utilising or purchasing products with packaging waste
If you use or purchase products that lead to a lot of packaging waste, such as plastic bottles or paper cups, you may want to consider changing this. Instead of using single-use products, you can slowly implement reusable products or find substitutes that will create less waste such as refills. This way, your business will be producing less waste and this is something you can practice at home too!
Improper disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
WEEE materials you might most commonly dispose off are items like old batteries, cables and monitors. Some people might throw these items in their regular rubbish bins because they may not know that they should not do so. “Every year an estimated 2 million tonnes of WEEE items are discarded by householders and companies in the UK” – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling (WEEE) (hse.gov.uk) If not recycled properly, these materials will lose their value and if exposed to certain materials or chemicals, can be extremely flammable and hazardous. If your business produces a lot of WEEE, do get in touch with us and we can help you set up a WEEE service here.
What can I do?
Behaviour change
Start with yourself. If you can identify practices that would be achievable and practical for you to recycle better or manage your waste better, it will be easier to cascade and share these practices with your colleagues or your household members. It could be something like properly recycling food waste and separating it from your rubbish completely. Practice habit stacking and build new practices slowly after you have mastered your first one. Reinforce positive behaviour at your workplace and set KPIs so you can continuously improve your efforts.
Efficient waste management in line with legislation
With new legislation, businesses have to implement separate recycling and food waste collections by the end of March 2025 (with the exception of micro-firms that will be required to have collections in place by the end of March 2027). Read more here: Government response – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Utilise data and analytics
Understanding your waste stream through data provides a bigger picture of your company’s usage of materials like paper and plastic. Monitoring this usage helps reduce the amount of waste produced. Read more here for the benefits of smart waste management.
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