The Importance of Industrial Waste Management

Everyone in industry knows that waste stream management is a standard part of business. Over time, however, it can be all too easy to lose sight of why it’s necessary. When that happens, companies can find themselves in big trouble legally, financially, and ethically.

Here’s why proper industrial waste management is so important for your company—and for everyone else, too.

Legal Compliance and Company Ethics

At a minimum, the proper handling of industrial waste is a matter of obeying the law. At the federal level, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates all manner of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, providing guidelines for compliance and enforcing hefty fines for violations. At the local level, state, county, and city governments typically have waste management laws as well.

Failing to comply with waste management laws can cost you much more than a few fines; public knowledge of your noncompliance can be a massive blow to your company’s reputation and customer base. In severe cases, you may even be forced out of business altogether.

Complying fully with legal waste management requirements does more than just keep you out of trouble; it also sends a clear message about your company’s ethics and fosters an internal culture of honesty, transparency, and integrity. If your business models compliance and diligence, employees will mirror those values back to you. Such a reputation may even make your company more desirable to job candidates.

Environmental Responsibility and Stewardship

Although some types of industrial waste are more dangerous than others, there’s no question that poor management in any industry is capable of causing serious environmental harm. For example, untreated manufacturing wastewater that makes its way into the environment introduces toxic heavy metals or leads to an explosion of oxygen-depleting algae, eventually killing marine life and potentially harming plants and animals throughout the food web.

As we continue to battle environmental issues, it’s important that we find ways to protect the planet without slowing down business. With a thorough waste management plan that can be easily monitored and maintained, you can significantly reduce your risk of contributing to pollution—and become stewards for environmental responsibility in your industry.

Human Health and Safety

Of course, we humans need a clean, safe environment, too. If industrial workers and the general public are exposed to chemical waste, decaying organic matter, or areas cluttered with over-filled waste bins, it could very well lead to illness, injury, or even death.

If wastewater containing illness-causing bacteria (and/or nutrients that encourage the growth of illness-causing bacteria) is introduced to the environment, it could lead to a widespread outbreak of illness from drinking, bathing, or swimming in the now-contaminated water. Similarly, improperly managed airborne waste—like from burning fuels or incinerating other waste—can leave harmful chemicals lingering in the air we breathe.

Take Your Waste Management to the Next Level with Global Trash Solutions

Ready to learn how our consulting, auditing, and waste reduction services can help you improve your industrial waste management practices? Call us at (866) 760-8194 to schedule a free consultation.