- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Recycling
- Resources
- Source Reduction
Source Reduction
Reducing Solid Waste for Businesses and Industry
Until recently, many business and industries have not paid much attention to the municipal solid waste a company produces. Companies are seeing a dramatic increase in the complexity and costs of managing their waste and at the same time public concern over the effects of all this waste has grown.
Innovative companies are incorporating waste reduction principles into their daily operations. What exactly is waste reduction? Waste reduction includes all actions taken to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of waste requiring disposal. It includes waste prevention, recycling, composting, and the purchase and manufacture of goods that have recycled content or produce less waste. Businesses are reviewing their entire operation to identify and implement as many opportunities for reducing waste as possible.
Waste reduction can help protect the environment as it slows the depletion of natural resources; helps reduce pollution associated with the extraction of raw materials and the manufacture of products as well as conserves valuable landfill space. Some waste reduction efforts also serve to reduce hazardous constituents in solid waste.
Waste Reduction Approaches
Before You Throw it Out
companies can dispose of materials that other businesses, nonprofit organizations, or community groups could use in their operations. Instead of being thrown away, these materials can be traded, donated, or sold. Consider a materials exchange where items such as building supplies, manufacturing remnants, and old equipment are transferred instead of becoming waste.
Source: USEPA/WasteWise website
Until recently, many business and industries have not paid much attention to the municipal solid waste a company produces. Companies are seeing a dramatic increase in the complexity and costs of managing their waste and at the same time public concern over the effects of all this waste has grown.
Innovative companies are incorporating waste reduction principles into their daily operations. What exactly is waste reduction? Waste reduction includes all actions taken to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of waste requiring disposal. It includes waste prevention, recycling, composting, and the purchase and manufacture of goods that have recycled content or produce less waste. Businesses are reviewing their entire operation to identify and implement as many opportunities for reducing waste as possible.
Waste reduction can help protect the environment as it slows the depletion of natural resources; helps reduce pollution associated with the extraction of raw materials and the manufacture of products as well as conserves valuable landfill space. Some waste reduction efforts also serve to reduce hazardous constituents in solid waste.
Waste Reduction Approaches
- Recycling is the collection and use of materials that would otherwise have been discarded as the raw material in the manufacture of new products.
- Composting is a natural process by which food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials are collected and allowed to decompose under controlled conditions into a rich, soil-like substance called compost.
- Purchasing is the procurement of products made from recycled materials and/or designed to result in less waste after their useful life.
- Using or manufacturing minimal or reusable packing. Encourage suppliers to minimize the amount of packaging used to protect their products and work with suppliers to arrange for return of shipping materials such as crates, cartons, and pallets for reuse.
- Using and maintaining durable equipment and supplies. These items will stay out of the waste stream longer, and the higher initial costs are often justified by lower maintenance, disposal, and replacement costs.
- Reusing products and supplies. Reuse common items such as file folders and interoffice envelopes.
- Reducing the use of hazardous constituents. Look at reformulated products such as toners with no heavy metals and water-based paints and cleaning solutions.
- Using supplies and materials more efficiently. Double-sided copying and eliminating unnecessary materials and supplies by purchasing only what you need.
Before You Throw it Out
companies can dispose of materials that other businesses, nonprofit organizations, or community groups could use in their operations. Instead of being thrown away, these materials can be traded, donated, or sold. Consider a materials exchange where items such as building supplies, manufacturing remnants, and old equipment are transferred instead of becoming waste.
Source: USEPA/WasteWise website
Americans use way too much "stuff!" Although we do not have the largest population in the world, we use a disproportionate amount of the earth's natural resources. To reduce our dependency on oil and other natural resources, we need to practice the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, and recycle). The first R, reduce, is the most important! There are some very easy steps to follow when we want to practice using fewer natural resources.
- Take reusable shopping bags to the stores, both grocery and general merchandise stores.
- Use a travel mug when visiting the local coffee shop.
- Take a reusable cup or travel mug when a luncheon is using Styrofoam® cups.
- Use a thermos for drinking water instead of buying bottled water to carry.
- Use cloth or other reusable lunch bags when packing lunches.
- Buy snacks and other food in large bags and pack them in reusable plastic containers, not plastic bags.
- When entertaining, use reusable plates and silverware when possible. When disposable ones are needed, don't use Styrofoam® ones!
- When painting, buy only the amount of paint that you will need to do the job.
- If you don't need something, don't buy it. This will help your budget, too.
- If you only need to use something for a short time, try to borrow it or rent it.
- When you have clothes, toys, and other items that are still in good condition, donate them to a charity or sell them at a garage sale or on eBay.
- Use both sides of the paper.
- Make note pads out of scrap paper.
- Compost organic material to save on using fertilizer and to have less trash going into the landfills.
- Join Freecycle to get free items that someone else doesn't need, and to give items that you no longer have a use for. ([email protected])
- If you have supplies or need supplies such as egg cartons or coffee cans for projects, contact Sarah Ellis at re:CREATE ([email protected] or 330-941-2238). She matches what people have with what people need. If you have large quantities of material, contact her at the Materials Exchange Program.
- Recycle!