How Effective Waste Handling Increases Sustainability

As a waste company, Greenbank places high importance on reducing the effects of waste on the environment. With many customers sharing these sustainability goals, we have developed several ways that effective waste handling can increase an organisation’s sustainability.

How waste management affects sustainability

It’s easy to think of waste as a separate entity that has no impact on how an organisation operates, but in fact it can have far reaching effects. We help companies achieve their aims, and sustainability is always a prime consideration.

Companies who want to reduce costs may look at more efficient machinery and processes. Organisations with many depots/branches backhaul their waste to be able to send more to recyclers. Others want to become more sustainable as a whole and ask us to review their waste management plan.

Whatever your organisational aims, Greenbank has a strategy to help you achieve them.

Recycling and reducing waste

Greenbank reduces the amount of waste organisations send to landfill – with many of our clients achieving zero to landfill. All you need is efficient processes in place. The time taken to set these up is easily recouped in staff time saved down the line.

Many companies recycle waste, but few are aware the recycling centres will pay for your unwanted materials. Polystyrene, cardboard, polythene and other items hold value. Greenbank will connect you with recyclers who pay for these materials, allowing you to create an extra revenue stream.

Efficient machinery reduces emissions

Waste disposal machinery in good working order can handle more waste, meaning fewer bales are produced and therefore fewer collections are required. This not only reduces your costs, but it means lower carbon emissions as there are less trucks on the road.

We recently reduced collections for one of our clients, Deli Solutions, from twice a week to once a fortnight. That means there is now only a quarter of the waste going to landfill, a quarter of emissions from trucks on the road – and they now pay only a quarter of the collection costs.

Make your supply chain more sustainable

Work with sustainable suppliers and you increase the sustainability of your supply chain. Greenbank are committed to being environmentally friendly in our operations. Here are some of the ways we make organisations more sustainable:

• Working smarter – green waste management means working smarter: recycling more waste and promoting compactors with a higher capacity to reduce collections.
• Reduce your carbon footprint – by reducing the number of collections needed, there are fewer trucks on the road and less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
• Efficient equipment – we advise clients on replacing outdated or inefficient equipment with efficient new equipment.
• Reusing equipment – we recondition and upgrade machinery so clients get efficient systems with minimum waste.
• Promoting a circular economy – recycling and reusing where possible to minimise landfill waste.
• Advising clients on recycling and repurposing opportunities – we discuss with our clients what materials can be recycled and how we make the process easier for them.
• Reducing our own office and workshop waste – with initiatives from recycling to being more energy efficient.

Waste management and ISO14001

Many companies hold the ISO14001 standard, and managing waste effectively is a key component of this. Organisations are encouraged to become more sustainable and improve their efficiencies year on year.

We work with many companies who hold this standard, and carry out free site visits to advise where improvements can be made. We look at ways of reducing, reusing and recycling as well as improving efficiencies in your waste management processes.

Creating a Sustainable Waste Management Plan

If you don’t currently have a waste management plan, or if yours could be improved, speak to us. We’re happy to offer advice and carry out a free site visit to see how your waste processes could be streamlined to increase efficiency, reduce costs become more sustainable.

We can also make organisations more sustainable in their financial operations. Good waste management can free up money that can be used in other areas to improve the company and allow it to become more environmentally friendly.

Whatever your aims, speak to us today.