Overcoming the Challenges of Sustainable Waste Management

There is an increasing emphasis on sustainability in all aspects of our lives. Generally, we all understand that preserving an ecological balance means avoiding the depletion of natural resources. We can think of it in business terms as producing goods and services that do not damage the environment or use resources that cannot be replaced. Many aspects of sustainability affect our lives daily, and each can be broken down into different sections. Each of these areas can be positively impacted to help sustainably manage the planet. As well as showing care and commitment towards the environment, customers will view your business more positively when you contribute to sustainable waste management solutions. Therefore, this article will discuss sustainable waste management, why you should be contributing to improve sustainable waste management, and how to overcome any challenges you could face when it comes to business waste.

What is Sustainable Waste Management?

Our natural resources are conserved and protected through sustainable waste management and energy recovery. This will affect both the end-of-life treatment increasing recycling of items and waste produced in their production of them. WRAP estimates that 80% of waste and landfill-related environmental damage can be prevented by rethinking how we produce waste and perceive energy recovery. Regulations have noted this, with sustainable waste and its energy recovery management becoming the new standard.

Why is Sustainable Waste Management Important?

Organisations have begun to focus on sustainability in recent years, although environmental topics have been on their agenda for some time. The importance of this issue is growing for all companies, regardless of their industry.
It is assumed that developing such strategies for economic growth and sustainability will enable companies to remain competitive for a long time, as this is becoming increasingly crucial in our day-to-day lives.

How products and services are delivered sustainably is becoming increasingly important to customers, owners, shareholders, and employees. However, some forget that waste reduction and management can be one of the biggest challenges to overcome to combat bad sustainability practices. There has been much scrutiny lately about how sustainable waste reduction and management shouldn’t begin with consumers; industries and businesses should practice it the most and set an example!

You could also expand the life span of materials rather than using brand-new equipment produced with virgin resources. These could have been created using a fossil fuel, aiding in greenhouse gas emissions being released; therefore, utilising waste materials means even more sustainable practices from your business!

Here are more reasons why sustainable waste management is very important.

Your Business

A sustainable strategy is regarded as critical to a company’s competitiveness by 62% of executives. Sustainability will be the cornerstone of businesses in the very near future. (If this isn’t true for your organisation, consider your competition.)

Consumers

The environmental ethics of a company are of increasing concern to consumers. This issue can impact your company’s competitiveness and play a significant part in whether or not your business is awarded contracts.

Governmental Regulations

Waste plays a vital role in the government’s commitments and objectives to protect the environment in their waste management plan for England. The result will be more stringent regulations regarding what will be considered waste and what amount of waste will be disposed of. It is also included within their Sustainable Development Goals.

Can your business lead the way to zero waste? Check out zero waste management services now.

Why Should Your Company Follow a Sustainable Waste Model?

A growing expectation of corporate responsibility and increased transparency has led companies to recognise the importance of sustainability. More is needed than just communicating professionally and having good intentions.

It is increasingly evident that good sustainability has a real business case rather than just being a PR issue. On average, businesses with sustainability programs perform better than those without. The shift to a more sustainable model encourages more organisations to consider the benefits of sustainability performance that it will bring to their businesses.

Identify ways to reduce your environmental impact and maximise your efforts to benefit your business if your business still needs to take action on sustainability. Analysing and reporting your current activities will enable you to achieve this. Once you know what you can do, you can identify what impact it can have on you and the environment.

Get started by requesting a waste consultation.

How Can Your Business Support Sustainable Waste Management?

Sustainability waste management can be improved in many ways, but it typically follows the 4 R’s of waste management, also known as the waste management hierarchy:

1. Reduce
2. Reuse
3. Recycle
4. Recover

Reduce

Reducing waste at its source is the easiest and most economical method within the waste hierarchy. A reduction in waste may be achieved in the process in multiple ways, including the process of designing, manufacturing, purchasing, or using sustainable materials management and products that reduce the amount of waste generated and the toxicity of that waste before it enters the landfill – which should be a last resort!

How can your organisation reduce waste? Here are some examples:

• Avoid wasting paper by only using it when necessary.
• When it’s possible to avoid sending hard copies of letters, consider making a phone call, email, or personal visit instead.
• Rather than writing down notes on paper, make them electronically.
• When catering, use multi-use straws, plates, cups, and cutlery.
• Ensure only to run appliances when full, such as dishwashers in the office.
• Turn off the lights and heating if you are not using a work area.

Reuse

The term ‘reuse’ describes the practice of reusing products for the same purpose more than once. Reduced waste generation and landfilling can be achieved by reusing products. You can also save money this way!

Examples of unwanted items that can be reused but are usually thrown away include:

• Consider refillable products such as printer cartridges, glue, and pens.
• Instead of ordering new folders, reuse existing ones.
• Boxes, bubble wrap, and other packaging materials can be reused.
• Messages and notes can be taken on scrap paper.
• Reusable internal mail envelopes should be used for hardcopy documents.

Recycle

Recyclable materials are removed from waste streams and used to make new products with raw materials. In addition to preventing landfilling, recycling waste into usable materials is also an efficient way to use resources.

Businesses can ensure that they recycle optimally by doing several things. Among them are:

• Toner cartridge recycling.
• Buy low-waste and recycled products.
• Materials such as aluminium cans, plastic bottles, and glass bottles can be recycled.

We offer a variety of recycling services if you need more help.

Recover

An operation that recovers waste produces ‘useful’ waste material’ by replacing other waste materials, that would have otherwise been used for a particular purpose, or by preparing waste to fulfil that function, either within the plant or elsewhere in the circular economy.

A prominent example of this being utilised more is composting organic waste, achieved through anaerobic digestion. This can be one way to recover materials from organic waste for further processing or use.

Types of Waste Generated

Waste collectors (like us!) deal with many types of waste. Below are some types of waste we collect most frequently and what you can do to decrease the amount of waste there.

Glass

The glass industry includes all types of containers and bottles.

There are many practical uses for glass bottles and jars, and due to their transparency and indefinite lifespan, they make excellent storage containers.

Discover how we can help you recycle glass.

Paper and Cardboard

Paper and cardboard recycling in all forms, including retail packaging and other office supplies and products can be recycled.

Using collaborative technologies in offices could also reduce waste and the need to print endless copies of documents. Ensure your letterbox has a ‘no junk’ sticker to prevent receiving junk mail. Let’s face it, who wants junk mail anyway?

Plastic and Mixed Recycling

Containers are made from a variety of plastics and materials. There’s good news, though: they’re becoming more recyclable! Recycle information is always marked on the packaging.

It would help if you reduced plastic consumption when items cannot be recycled. Look for recyclable alternatives from your suppliers. Plastics that cannot be recycled must be discarded in general waste bags/bins.

General Waste

Anything that doesn’t fall under one of the other categories is soiled or cannot be recycled due to hygiene or contamination.

Millions of disposable carrier bags are thrown away daily because they cannot be recycled. Make the switch to reusable bags; they are typically more robust and have a greater capacity.

Food Waste

From restaurants to office buildings, all types of food and waste products are generated.

Purchasing stock and supplies you will use is one way to reduce food waste. If you have surplus food, can you store it properly, or must it be thrown away? The more you avoid wasteful purchases, the less you waste food, and the less you cut into your business’s bottom line. Food must be stored correctly in the right place and temperature to last as long as possible.

Overcoming the Challenges of Sustainable Waste Management

Correctly managed solid waste has a significant impact on the environment linear economy, public health, and quality of life. While best practices and technological advancements have made waste management more efficient, there are still some challenges. In this section, we will look at the major challenges associated with solid waste management, especially concerning sustainability.

Collection and Disposal for Sustainable Waste Management

Lack of adequate collection and disposal infrastructure is one of the major problems in waste management. Littering and illegal dumping are serious issues stemming from improper waste collection, transportation, and disposal. Debris accumulates and attracts pests due to inadequate waste management, increasing disease outbreak risks.

There are several negative consequences of poor infrastructure, including social problems, threats to public health, and degradation of the environment. We need to invest in appropriate waste management infrastructure to address these issues. By managing waste effectively, communities will be protected from adverse environmental impacts often caused by waste, and it will be more sustainable.

We can help with your waste collection today.

Online Shopping by Consumers

E-commerce and online shopping are constantly changing consumer demands. Due to the materials and boxes used for packaging, there has been an increase in packaging waste. Water bottles and shopping bags are examples of single-use plastic products.

Recycling packaging wastes and plastic products is difficult, so they often end up in landfills and contribute to greenhouse gas pollution. Customer adoption of sustainable waste management practices is the only way to solve this problem.

We know this is more of a problem for your customers than you, but it still affects you. A government can support overcoming these challenges by implementing legislation encouraging more environmentally friendly consumer behaviours, more energy, and solutions such as a tax on single-use plastic. This is how it relates to your business!

Ineffective Recycling

Municipal solid waste management faces another challenge due to limited recycling options. It is because municipal recycling and composting programs need more resources.

Waste is often transferred to landfills in rural regions because there are fewer recycling facilities. Regional recycling facilities also reject several forms of plastic that may be recycled or composted.

Many towns are geographically isolated, so they cannot access recycling or composting facilities, relying on landfills or incinerators to dispose of their waste.

Again, the government are getting better at helping these more isolated communities with the UK to push for sustainable waste management in all areas, no matter how far away from bigger cities with better infrastructure for waste management.

Look at our recycling services today; we can help wherever you are in the UK!

Finances

Providing appropriate collection and disposal services may be difficult for smaller businesses due to insufficient funding. As a result of the lack of funding your business may be putting into your waste management, hazardous waste may be improperly treated, which can pose significant health and environmental risks.

However, nowadays, the government has intervened and put strict enforcement in place for correct waste management, at least in the UK.

Technological Advances

Waste can only be managed and disposed of sustainably with efficient, cost-effective technologies.

Recyclables, for example, are sorted and separated manually and are labour-intensive processes. These challenges can be overcome through automated sorting and separation technologies.

For waste management to succeed, new technologies need to be introduced. Recycling practices for waste produced can be improved through the efficient use and economic development of technology, and sustainable waste management can be promoted.

If we partner with your business at Inspire Waste Management, we’ll take care of everything after collection, so you don’t have to worry about anything but your own business. We take care of the collection and disposal of waste, including getting it to innovative recycling centres around the UK for effective processing and sustainable waste management practices.

Climate Change

Climate change also affects waste management. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect waste generation, transportation, and disposal. Changing precipitation patterns, for instance, may make waste transportation more difficult as temperatures rise.

Furthermore, landfills can degrade due to climate change, resulting in environmental and health risks. Therefore, planning strategies for landfill site and methods for waste management must consider climate change.

Investing in sustainable waste management techniques, such as reducing, recycling, and reusing rubbish, as well as low-carbon, renewable energy sources, is also essential.

How Can Inspire Waste Management Help Your Business Overcome the Challenges of Sustainable Waste Management?

We could be a perfect fit for your business for many reasons!

Developing a full waste stream management solution suited to our customer’s needs and locations will be our goal for commercial waste management.

With our help, your business’s environmental impact is minimised, and queries are handled quickly for the next best practice in sustainable waste management so that you can focus on what matters most – your customers’ needs!

We offer waste reduction audits and collection services for those committed to reducing their environmental impact. The reason for this is that we can recycle or dispose of high volumes of waste responsibly and safely for our customers. There is a lot of potential for recycling sustainable waste products.

From restaurants to retail stores to other forms of business waste, InspireWaste covers a variety of industries. Our team can help you dispose of plastic waste, cardboard packaging, and any other kind of waste.

Conclusion

In order to protect the environment, protect public health, and improve the quality of life for future generations, waste management is crucial. The individual can play a role in waste management by supporting initiatives and programs related to waste management. In addition to investing in recycling infrastructure, organisations can develop their own recycling programs with the help of a waste management company. By doing so, we can build a more sustainable future.