Developing an effective and compliant waste management strategy is the right choice for any UK business. Poor waste management can have an effect on hygiene, efficiency, safety and even end up leaving you with regulatory fines. That’s why investing in your waste management is incredibly important.
Let’s explore some poor waste management results and how they can affect you.
Human Health Risk
Rubbish of any kind is an issue and different types will pose different risks to human health. For example, organic waste may attract undesirable creatures, from insects to rats. These are widely known as carriers of disease and so to keep a hygienic working environment, having clearly designated spaces and processes for rubbish is important.
Other types of waste, if not properly disposed of, could pose trip or fall hazards and potentially result in accident or injury. Not only does this greatly impact efficiency, but it also impacts the health of your employees. You could also be liable for law-related implications, such as lawsuits for operating an unsafe work environment.
Environmental Issues
Environmental protection is an important issue of the day. Businesses are in a good position to alter their processes, as well as their waste management strategies, in an effort to have a smaller impact on the environment.
Plastic pollution is a huge issue around the world and only by properly managing that waste type can we begin to limit our impact. It’s widely known that plastic takes hundreds, if not thousands of years to biodegrade and so needs to be disposed of correctly. In light of this, you need to make sure that any plastic waste you’re creating isn’t ending up in local environments, rather than a designated landfill.
Any waste has the potential to be harmful to the environment, so make sure you’re taking the proper steps towards effective recycling or disposal.
Explore how we were able to help dramatically reduce labour costs and increase recycling efficiency for one of our clients by clicking the button below.
Regulatory Implications
Regulatory implications are important to be compliant with. The UK Government sets out a number of waste disposal regulations that are easily worked within when operating an efficient, legitimate waste management system.
What is Required of You?
If your waste management is not efficient, chances are that it may not be compliant with relevant UK laws and regulations. For example, all businesses have to abide by the waste duty of care, which was issued as part of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. There are a number of practices that you have to undertake as part of the waste duty of care, these are:
- Stop any unauthorised or harmful depositing or disposal of your business waste.
- Prevent the ‘escape of waste from your control’.
- If you’re transferring waste, make sure the organisation it’s being transferred to has the proper authorisation. You also need to provide an accurate description of the waste during this transaction.
- Prevent failures by others to meet any requirement of any environmental permit you’re working within.
What are the Consequences of Non-Compliance?
Acting without compliance in terms of waste disposal could leave you with a large fine or even worse, jail time.
For example, these are some of the offences and subsequent punishments:
- Duty of care offence: £300 fixed penalty notice or prosecution, with a £5,000 maximum fine.
- Waste receptacle offence: £110 fixed penalty notice or prosecution with a £1,000 maximum fine.
- Fly-tipping: £400 fixed penalty notice or prosecution with an unlimited fine. Alternatively, this could mean anywhere up to five years’ prison time.
A simple way of maintaining compliance is investing in your waste management strategy. This could be through purchasing proper waste management machinery (such as balers and compactors), working with waste disposal companies or by partnering with an experienced waste management organisation.
At Greenbank Waste Management, we’re here to help you cut the costs of your waste management strategy, provide quality waste machinery and servicing whilst ensuring you remain compliant.
To explore the kind of work we do, we’ve created a case study where you can see how we solve waste management issues for businesses.
Final Thoughts
Poor waste management can have serious consequences for your business, from health risks and environmental harm to potential legal penalties. By ignoring proper waste disposal practices, you not only risk non-compliance with regulations but also expose your employees to hazards and your business to costly fines.
Investing in effective waste management strategies is crucial. At Greenbank Waste Management, we help businesses improve their waste handling processes, reduce costs, and stay compliant with regulations. Contact us today to learn how we can support your waste management needs and keep your business running smoothly.
Greenbank’s Waste Management Solutions:
- Retail Waste Management
- Manufacturing Waste Management
- Distribution Waste Management
- Food Packaging Waste Management
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