Must-Know Waste Disposal Tips for Businesses

Waste: it isn’t really something we like to think about even though every business and every home generates its daily load of waste. But thinking about waste disposal is a must for every business, no matter how little or how much it generates. Improper waste disposal can lead to workplace accidents, fines from the authorities, and negative publicity that could genuinely harm your business. These tips should help you to stay on top of things.

Get a Good Network of Service Providers

People who understand waste disposal and who are in the business of handling waste may know a few things you don’t. And since local laws differ from place to place, generic information may be less helpful than one might expect.  For example, if you want to get  skip hire, Isle of Wight businesses can only advise you if you are actually based there. And in case you were wondering, there are rules and regulations surrounding what may go into a skip and how the skip itself should be loaded. Getting local information from local service-providers  ensures that you don’t make common mistakes that could come back to haunt you.

Ensure That Your Staff Handles Hazardous Waste Correctly

A lot of everyday things that will, at some time, be discarded are classed as hazardous waste. For example, you may know that old fluorescent tubes must be processed at a specialized facility, but if your staff doesn’t, it’s possible for those defunct fluorescent tubes to wind up posing a risk to people and the environment.

E-waste, faulty mobile phones, and ordinary disposable or rechargeable batteries are further examples of things your staff shouldn’t just discard unthinkingly. Health and safety training should cover waste disposal, as should the health and safety risk-assessments your business regularly conducts. Ensure that all your staff members realize that correct waste disposal is important, and take rapid corrective action if you notice even the smallest lapses.

Think About Drainage Water

While offices and shops don’t need to be worried about drainage water any more than normal householders would, farmers and industrial businesses do need to take it into account. Dangerous chemicals being washed off the premises and into water-bodies can have extremely harmful effects on the environment, and if it’s traced back to your business, you could face hefty fines and negative publicity that doesn’t go away for years.

Need an example? A local dairy business was unaware that runoff from its milking sheds was polluting a nearby stream. But the smell, and a few floating fish soon showed that something was going wrong. The authorities were called to test the water, and they raced the source of the organic pollutants back to the dairy farm. More than a decade later, everyone still remembers that X Dairy farm killed a stream. You don’t want this kind of thing happening to your business! For a city-based example, do spare a thought for the runoff from parking lots. It’s a well-known source of storm-water pollution and implementing good waste water management will contribute to a cleaner environment.

Recycle What You Can

Partner with local recycling companies to plan the disposal of recyclables and ensure that your staff is fully committed to helping you to help the environment. Make it easy for them to comply by providing conveniently-placed receptacles for different types of recyclable waste. Monitor the way in which your recycling stations are used and provide training to ensure that all your staff members know exactly how and where to dispose of recyclable materials. Most people like to feel that they work for a business that tries to work in an ethical and responsible way. Going the extra mile with recycling can have the added benefit of raising staff morale.

Use Your Waste Management Practices to Boost Your Image

Even in today’s marketing-oriented world, there are still businesses who keep quiet about the positive things they do – especially when those things don’t have all that much to do with the direct benefits their products and services offer. However, letting the public know that your business is doing what it can to preserve the environment will boost your business’s reputation.

So, since you’re going to spend time on ensuring that your company’s waste management practices represent best-practice methods, why not use this titbit of information to build goodwill among your customers and within the broader community? Goodwill is something that money can’t buy, and since you’re doing something to earn it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t cash in!