The cost of waste disposal is predicted to rise by around 47% over the next 5 years, driven by recycling challenges, vendor pressures and increased landfill charges.  And that could be bad news for business owners, who are already struggling to balance difficult priorities.

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And it’s not just a problem for the companies themselves – responsible, efficient waste disposal is important to all of us.  But, while many complex factors sit beneath the current challenges, how can business owners best respond immediately?

Take steps to reduce the waste you produce

The first thing companies need to do is find out exactly how much waste they’re creating – and take effective steps to reduce it.  

More and more waste management and recycling organizations are now offering to work directly with businesses to help them achieve that.  They can also provide you with a wide range of online management tools which produce detailed data, projections and analyses.

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This can help you to find the method of waste removal that’s most advantageous for your business’s own specific requirements. And it can also help identify a clear set of objectives, for your business, such as how to:

• set goals for future waste reduction;
• encourage your employees to reduce waste
• produce clear outlines of the benefits
• provide a consistent message for use in your internal communications
• monitor your company’s progress towards any identified targets

Invest in waste management machinery

Many businesses across the country are choosing to invest in waste management machinery as a practical response to the problem.

Waste balers, for example, are an affordable, effective solution and quite simply reduce the volume of your refuse. And that means you gain space, cut down on transportation of waste to recycling centres and reduce your landfill charges.

Reducing collections can mean reduced waste

Some companies are making decisions you might find more surprising, as initially they seem a little simplistic. One idea that’s gaining traction is to simply reduce your waste collections, which might sound a surprising way to resolve the problem.  

But the theory here is that a proportion of issues around waste disposal can be caused by behavioural or cultural issues. So, as long as there are facilities and collections available, people in your organization will produce waste accordingly.

If you try this in your business and find the volume of waste reduces, there may well be validity to this more psychological type of approach.

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What are the other benefits of reducing waste?

The other benefits to your business of reducing waste are many – but they include improving sustainability, cutting emissions and making you more energy efficient.  A simple reduction in the waste you produce is, after all, one of the best ways to improve your carbon footprint.

Some final thoughts

We recognise that the current issues in the waste disposal market are causing businesses many challenges. But with a good clear strategy, you can identify your best immediate response and take the first steps towards reducing those costs.