As an environmentally conscious business, there are many factors you’ll need to consider in order to be environmentally responsible with your waste. Using a cardboard baler, reducing paper use, avoiding single use plastics, and advocating for recycling are all great ways to help do your part for the environment – but what about how your waste is removed from site?
In this article, we discuss how vehicle movements associated waste collection and disposal can impact the environment, and suggest a few ways your business can help to reduce this impact.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TRANSPORTING WASTE
The removal of COVID transport restrictions is projected to result in an 18-19% increase in transport emissions from 2020 to 2022. The large diesel trucks and collection vehicles that transport waste from businesses across Ireland would undoubtedly contribute strongly to this carbon footprint.
These heavy diesel trucks collecting our waste and recycling would also release foul odours and particulate emissions into the air, presenting health hazards to the public and polluting your neighbourhood’s air. Large amounts of waste require additional waste collection, increasing road traffic and in turn, air pollution.
So, what can your business do about it?
IMPLEMENT EFFICIENT WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
A waste management plan that works for you and your business is the first step in lessening the impact of these vehicle movements. You should also take time to look into where your rubbish is coming from, and how often – this will help you to maintain an eco-friendly procedure for its disposal.
Ensuring your employees are also aware of your efforts, and that they understand the new system will also help to improve your results. Signage to help your team know what is recyclable and what isn’t will help to get them involved in contributing to the business’s green efforts.
USE A WASTE BALER
Waste balers can help a lot in offsetting the environmental impacts of waste collection vehicles. Baling and consolidating waste creates space in your facility so you can go longer between collections. Increased time between collections means you’re also reducing the number of trips taken by collection vehicles – in fact, many businesses are able to reduce collections to once every 4-6 weeks by switching to a baler (and also save up to 60% on associated fees).
CONSIDER YOUR WASTE COLLECTOR
While it may be simple enough to use the big names in waste collection, take the time to do some research in order to find the right company. You will find that while many of the larger collection companies service a wider area, this means they are driving long distances to collect your waste and increasing carbon emissions in doing so. Look into whether there is a local service you can use that may be dispatching a bit closer to home, or one that utilizes electric or hybrid vehicles.
DON’T WASTE YOUR COLLECTIONS
Set up your collections at less frequent intervals, to ensure you are making the most of them. With a baler, your waste will not take up as much space and so maintaining frequent collections means that the vehicles are making more trips than necessary. Now that you’re producing more compact waste, reduced collections can not only mean lower carbon emissions, but can also potentially save you money.
When considering your business’ impact on the environment, review past and present activity, but don’t forget to consider future performance as well. Making a change to a waste baler can mean your impact lessens over time, and your business will save money in the long run. To discuss your waste baler requirements or for more advice on selecting the right baler for your business’ needs, contact the team at LSM.
