Reducing and Recycling Waste

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Why reduce waste?

Reducing waste is a key part of any green strategy. There are a number of very good reasons to cut the amount of waste your business, staff and customers produce:

Money - as a business it costs you money to remove all your waste. The more waste you cut, the more your save.
Environment - we cannot continue to send such vast quantities of waste to landfill sites, or continue to unthinkingly pour chemicals into our water systems. We have to take responsibility for the way we purchase, consume and dispose.
Legislation - new and tougher regulations to cut waste and increase recycling are being imposed all the time and they will only get stiffer. Flouting the regulations can cost you in fines, legal proceedings, management time and customer image.
Customers - green issues are high on customers' minds. They expect businesses to take a visible, responsible approach to the environment as standard and they vote with their purchasing power. A 2007 report from the Co-operative Bank showed that spending on ethical or green products and services grew by 9% in 2007 alone, taking the total UK spend to £32.3 billion.

What is waste?

This may seem like a daft question but waste is broader than you think, and unless you can identify waste, it is difficult to cut it. Waste is packaging, plastic, paper, cardboard, bottles, cans and food waste. But it is also cleaning chemicals, waste fat and drain sludge. It is consumer electricals, books, CDs and clothes. It is building rubble, leftover paint, old decorating tools and garden clippings. It is unwanted bed linen, old furniture, crockery and cutlery. It is old computers, printers, cartridges, files and phones.

According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Plan) waste in typical hospitality businesses is made up of the following (table courtesy of WRAP):


Category	B&B	Guesthouse	Hotel	Pub
	%	%	%	%
Paper	20.31	13.66	11.93	6.96
Cardboard	9.95	7.68	7.16	10.00
Glass	12.47	14.55	10.16	32.13
Steel and aluminium cans and tins	3.38	2.01	4.82	2.45
Totals	46.10	37.90	34.07	51.54

Plastic (containers and film)	14.94	10.84	8.54	6.91
Food waste	28.38	39.20	53.83	31.10
Other	10.57	12.06	3.56	10.45
Total	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00

However you need to know where your business is creating waste, in order to know how to stop or reduce it.

How do you cut waste?

Everyone who works in or with your business - so that includes your suppliers and, to some extent, your customers - will need to get involved. You especially need to get staff on board, though this is generally easy. Everyone is aware of the need to be greener, but many people find it hard or don't know where to start. Most people welcome a structured approach, clear guidelines and the incorporation of energy, water and waste routines into their working day because it makes them feel that they are taking positive action and doing something to help.

There are lots of steps you can take that cost nothing or very little, make an impact from day one and save you money through reduced waste collection charges. Cutting waste is easy - but it does take commitment and organisation.

The first step is to identify what waste you are currently creating and this literally involves sorting and measuring your waste and doing regular physical walk rounds to spot where waste is occurring. (You should continue to do this on a regular basis.)

The next step is to identify ways to cut waste. Again this is simple. Once you know what your waste is made up of you can see where the greatest opportunities for cutting it lie.

Essentially there are three ways to reduce waste:

Reduce
Stopping waste at the source is the most effective way. This means changing buying methods, daily routines and processes to avoid generating waste in the first place.
Re-use
Before you throw something away consider whether it can be re-used in a different setting or whether it can be passed on. For example old bedding can be donated to hostels or homeless charities, and schools and playgroups may welcome some packaging as creative play or craft items.
Recycle
Of the waste that is left, the aim is to send as little as possible to the landfill, so recycle as much as you can. This means knowing what can be recycled, having clear routines for cleaning and separating recyclable waste and having collections from a business recycling provider (you cannot put business recycling in public bottle banks or recycling centres - it is against the law).

Be aware though, that recycling has a cost attached and uses energy. Cutting down on waste in the first place will always be the best choice.

Getting started

The easiest way to set up waste reduction programme is to make a plan. This shouldn't be a big document (which would be waste in itself!). It should be short and to the point - a useful tool to help you remember the steps you want to take and the timescales for taking them. It also helps you think through how you'll need to alter your routines, collect recycling, train staff and make customers aware.

To make your plan, you'll need to do the following:

Identify what waste you are currently creating - this involves monitoring your waste and doing regular waste walk rounds.
Identify how you can reduce waste by careful purchasing, management, re-use and recycling.
Put a plan into place that shows targets, actions and timescales.
Set up new routines and negotiate new waste and recycling contracts.
Prepare and train staff and provide regular feedback.
Monitor results, revisit your plan and advertise your efforts!

Next steps:

Go to Waste reduction tips

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