How Business Waste Policies Affect the Environment

Companies don’t just develop proper waste management policies to save themselves money and increase efficiency. Responsible business owners implement waste reduction strategies and modern commercial garbage disposal equipment as part of protecting the environment.

When commercial waste isn’t disposed of properly, it can damage natural ecosystems, kill or maim wildlife, and cause harmful pollution or hazardous wastes to enter the biosphere. Properly managing waste is the responsibility of every business and something that waste management consultants are happy to help businesses achieve.

The Impact of Poor Waste Management

Not only do modern waste management systems save companies money and help maintain their eco-friendly reputations but, increasingly, major corporations are recognizing how the amount of waste produced by their business negatively affects the environment.

Some of the examples of the negative environmental impact of poor or improper waste management by businesses and manufacturing include:

• Surface water contamination: When garbage, chemicals, and other waste ends up in oceans or rivers, it contaminates the water, often so much that it changes its chemical composition. Polluted water can harm animals, plants, and humans and seep into the water table.
• Air pollution: Solid and liquid waste isn’t the only kind of pollution that needs to be managed by businesses. Improperly stored waste can also lead to air pollution, which not only damages the environment but can also cause respiratory conditions like asthma in humans.
• Disease and hygiene concerns: Improper waste management can cause health hazards and increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks. Rodents and insects that feed on improperly stored solid waste can spread disease. Improper handling of organic wastes can contaminate surfaces and contribute to food borne illness.
• Soil contamination. Improperly maintained landfills, overused disposal sites, or areas that have been affected by pollution or improper dumping put the health and safety of the whole community at risk. Farmland and residential properties can be contaminated by business waste and impact a clean food and water supply.

How Businesses Can Help

Every year, commercial companies produce millions of pounds of waste, from discarded paper to broken electronics. What can your organization do to properly manage and dispose of the garbage and waste produced by your business?

• Reduce waste. By cutting down on packaging materials, disposable equipment, and wasted raw materials, most businesses can drastically reduce the solid waste they pay to have hauled away. Waste management consultants can help your business conduct a waste stream audit to identify opportunities for waste reduction across your organization.
• Recycling: One of the easiest things businesses can do to reduce waste production is to recycle their reusable waste. Not only does recycling keep waste out of landfills, but it also lets much of the waste they produce get reused or repurposed.
• Electronics disposal: Many electronic devices—even something as small as batteries and cell phones—are made from harmful materials that can cause damage to the environment. Businesses should make sure to dispose of their electronics through a proper electronic waste disposal
• Conserving water and energy. By analyzing ways to reduce their water and energy consumption, businesses not only realize immediate cost savings on their utilities but reduce the pollution and environmental impact of generating electricity and water treatment plants.
• Installing new equipment. Replacing old and inefficient trash compactors and recycling balers can save on energy costs and drastically reduce the volume of waste that your business produces. Trash compacting also reduces the ability of rodents and pests to feed on, or nest in, business garbage.

Reduce Business Waste and Improve Waste Management Practices

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of garbage. Pollution prevention is a nationwide goal that pays dividends to the companies that embrace it. If you would like to learn more about how to more effectively manage your business waste production, contact Global Trash Solutions for the latest technology and innovative process improvements you can implement.

Waste prevention is the right strategy for a number of reasons. You can improve employee efficiency, limit liability, comply with local and federal regulations, and build a greener business reputation by working with a waste consultant from GTS. Protecting the environment for our families and communities is a sound business practice and every company’s responsibility. Contact us today to find out how green initiatives can be waste management benefits for the future.