Waste

For many businesses waste will not represent a huge proportion of carbon emissions. However, it will still be significant enough to warrant some action.There an example of a construction and demolition waste management plan is available here.

What to do

Implementing some of the following actions will help reduce your business’s impact on climate change.

• Reduce the amount of waste you are sending to landfill by reuse and recycling.
• Reduce the amount of waste you are generating in the first instance by putting in place prevention and reduction measures and by looking at sustainable procurement.

How to do it

Waste awareness among Large Industry and Commercial outlets has been increasing steadily over the last number of years with more and more businesses taking a Reduce/Reuse/Recycle approach to waste management.

There are a number of programmes and tools that can help you manage your waste in a more efficient way. These are outlined below.
 

Local Authority

Your Local Authority has the ultimate responsibility for waste management planning in your area. For information on waste management in your area contact your Local Authority Environmental Awareness Officer who will be happy to assist you.

Waste Tips

1. Consider the life cycle of a product when purchasing supplies for your business. Try to buy products that you know can be easily recycled in order to lower your business’s waste outputs.
2. Also consider the shelf life or lifespan of items before purchasing. Research any impending product or technological innovations that may make some products become obsolete. This can be part of your business’s sustainable procurement policy for purchasing.
3. Encourage your staff to bring a packed lunch that is in reusable containers. Your business could even provide reusable lunch bags and mugs with your company logo for them to use!
4. Require that printers are set to print on both sides and that recycled paper is always used.
5. Try to send more emails and documents online, rather than printing out memos or reports.
6. Segregate waste at the office in order to ensure it is appropriately disposed of. In the canteen, you could create individual bins for people to separate out their wastes (compostables, recyclables, etc.) in order to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.