As with the approach of every new year, it is a time of reflection for many people where typically many individuals and even businesses set themselves goals for the upcoming year.
This past year, of course, has been very tough on everyone, and, in particular, small businesses have had to adapt quickly to the unprecedented economic climate.
That’s why taking some time to plan your businesses’ approach to the new year will certainly be valuable and we urge businesses across the UK to do so.
A core part of a brick and mortar business which is often forgotten about when it comes to planning the 2021 strategy, however, is waste management. In this post, we will discuss the importance and benefit of planning your commercial waste management strategy so that you can go into the new year fully prepared.
Waste and business audit
The best way to plan for the future is to reflect on the past. That’s because you can learn a lot from what has happened in your business over the last year. When it comes to waste management, the way you can do this is by conducting a waste audit/reflection on what your waste needs have been like over the previous 12 months.
You should consider how your waste needs have changed due to seasonal effects, holiday periods, during lockdowns, changes to your business etc. Has the type of waste you produced changed at all? Do you produce more or less? These are all questions you should try to answer and apply to how you think your business will operate over the next year.
Whilst we appreciate that if your waste production was lowered significantly during lockdown periods and this is something which will be difficult to predict in the new year, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a plan for any potential lockdowns in 2021 regarding your waste management needs.
From your reflections/audit, can you determine how much less waste you produce during lockdown months and plan accordingly for is another lockdown occurs? You could, for instance, look to organise bin shares with neighbouring businesses during these periods.
Waste management strategy
There is no set formula for conducting a waste management strategy plan but there are some key things which you should consider, research, and make a note of.
- You should consider what type of waste, how much of it, and how frequently you’ll need collections from your waste collector.
- You should then consider which waste collector would best suit your business needs and who can accommodate for all the types of waste your organisation produces.
- You should consider whether there are any opportunities to adopt more environmentally conscious waste practices and identify any money-saving opportunities (these will be discussed in the next section).
- You should also consider what your plans are for navigating any lockdowns in the coming year.
Going green and saving money
What many businesses may not realise is that by incorporating certain practices, which make the company more environmentally friendly, businesses can actually save a reasonable amount of money doing so.
For instance, if your company does not recycle or have a dedicated bin for recycling certain materials, then you are seriously missing out on making a positive environmental change and reducing your landfill tax charges.
From your year’s reflection, you realise that you produced a lot of fo food waste, then you should probably get a food waste bin collection service so that your food can be turned into biofuel and so that you are sending less to landfill sites (thus dropping your tax rate).
Another way you can introduce ‘green’ policies which have the knock-on effect of saving you money, is by ensuring that you educate your staff on keeping various waste types separate. You can do this through training, good signage on your bins and around the premises, and through company updates. By not having your waste bins contaminated with the wrong type of waste, you will drastically reduce the amount of refused collections you may experience and avoid any contamination charges.
The New Year
After reading this, we hope that you can plan your waste management strategy effectively for the new year and can help your business thrive in 2021. If you need any help with your waste management then do not hesitate to contact our tea by filling in the enquiry form below.
