Waste is a problem for all companies and
the environmental impact of waste if it’s not managed correctly can be
disastrous. With that in mind, it’s essential for all companies, regardless of
the sector they operate in, to reduce their waste as much as possible. There
are some simple steps that companies can take, which can really benefit them
and improve their environmental impact. In this piece, we’ll look at three key
areas companies can target to reduce their waste.
Smart Manufacturing
Being smart about the way parts are
produced is crucial in modern-day manufacturing. One of the most significant
contributors to waste is excess material which can’t be used for another
purpose and has to be disposed of. Even recycling materials such as metal uses
energy. Manufacturing companies can use smarter techniques to reduce the amount
of material waste with systems such as CAD. Computer-aided design allows
companies to use machines to produce very accurate and intricate designs by
fitting lots of shapes closely together into one piece of material, such as a
metal. This means that more can be produced with less material as the machining
is using the material more efficiently.
Reduce Plastic Usage
Plastic is one of the most significant
issues for a variety of companies. It has become a massive part of our daily
life and changing these habits is challenging but not impossible. One way to
reduce plastic usage and was, which is very simple, is to stop supplying employees
with plastic cups to use when drinking from water fountains. These single-use
plastics are extremely bad for the environment and contribute significantly to
damaging waste. The obvious solution to replace plastic cups is to provide
employees with reusable water bottles that they can refill and use for years.
Another area where plastic waste, particularly for manufacturing companies, can
be reduced is through product packaging. Making sure the product is safe is
clearly the priority, but the overall plastic volume in packaging can and
should be reduced.
Don’t Be So Reliant On Paper
Companies in all areas have become
increasingly reliant on paper. Not only is this problematic from a production
point of view, with the energy needed to produce paper, but it can be damaging
for the environment if the paper used is not recycled correctly. There are,
therefore, two ways companies can improve in this area. Firstly, using less
paper in general by moving to electronic forms of communication and
note-taking. In meetings, for example, don’t print out the agenda or notes from
a previous meeting, send them electronically to all in attendance. Furthermore,
if you need to communicate to a large number of employees, don’t put a paper
notices up on boards around the workplace, send out a company email instead.
The second area is to improve the
availability of recycling bins around the workplace. Staff will learn to use
recycling bins for paper very quickly if they are presented with the
opportunity to do so. In offices where there is a printer it makes sense to put
a recycling bin right next to the printer, as pages will be printed with
mistakes on, so having a recycling bin immediately available will stop paper
going into general waste. Similarly, as lots of note-taking happens at people’s
desks, place recycling bins close by so that any paper notes can be disposed of
correctly.
Overall, it should be a priority for any
company to reduce their waste, and by focusing on the three areas listed above,
they can start to do so.
This piece was written in collaboration
with EDM Zone, a company that has taken reducing their waste seriously. You
can find out more about EDM Zone here.
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