How to Reach Your Recycling Goals in the New Year

With 2021 here, it may be the right time to rethink your waste management plan, redefine your recycling goals, and develop/implement a recycling program to meet them. Many companies focus solely on waste hauling and removal, but there are numerous other considerations, from evaluating what materials are recyclable to having the proper recycling equipment.

The Importance of Recycling

People and businesses throw away disposable materials without thinking about it; most of these go to landfills, which are quickly filling up. By recycling paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and a host of other materials, the impact of garbage on the environment can be reduced. Production and energy costs are reduced as well. Recycling also decreases reliance on raw materials, which conserves energy and natural resources during manufacturing, reduces greenhouse gases, and limits water and air pollution.

Tips to Reach Your Recycling Goals

If your manufacturing facility, office building, retail store, restaurant, or hotel hasn’t yet reached its recycling goals, here are some ways you can work toward having an effective recycling program:

• Evaluate Materials that Can Be Recycled: Conduct an assessment of the types of waste generated by your business, whether it’s plastic, paper, food, or other waste. Many of the materials you discard can be reused and recycled—in some cases, multiple times. For example, you could refill plastic bottles used for cleaning products. Purchasing in bulk and refilling these bottles repeatedly reduces waste and saves money.
• Set Clear Goals: Are you seeking to cut waste hauling expenses in half? Do you know how many fewer tons of waste you’d like to produce? After an evaluation, you can set clear goals that help your business save money, set aside cash for other expenses, or even identify objectives that can create new revenue streams. Find what you could use again; or, perhaps, other firms could use materials you don’t need.
• Take Time to Assess Recycling Objectives: Deciding when to evaluate your objectives can help set clear goals, measure parameters over time, and determine the goals of your recycling plan. Now, you can look at your waste and recycling numbers from last year. Total the amounts of waste generated and how much you spent. This helps you see where you can start saving.
• Use Proper Waste Recycling Equipment: Using smaller waste containers can reduce pick-ups and waste fees. This is achievable with recycling machines such as trash compactors, which reduce labor, handling, and hauling costs. They come in models that handle everything from household waste in apartment complexes to manufacturing and industrial waste. A recycling baler compresses waste materials to make them easier to transport.

Work with a Recycling Management Consultant

A commercial waste recycling company can help with waste reduction and determine the most practical and cost-efficient way to handle disposal. Possessing market knowledge and expertise in effective strategies, a consultant can work with your firm to help set and meet your goals. Global Trash Solutions is both a consulting and brokerage firm that can analyze and manage your waste stream and an equipment manufacturer that can supply all the recycling machinery, components, and accessories you need. To learn more, call 866-760-8194 today!