How do you manage waste in companies and local authorities?

To help you manage your waste more effectively, we can draw up a waste management plan for your business or local authority. This is a strategy used to eliminate, reduce, reuse and prevent waste. Waste elimination methods include recycling, composting, incineration, landfill, bioremediation, energy recovery and reduction at source.

Waste management covers all the measures taken to manage your company’s waste throughout its life cycle, from production to disposal or recovery.

How do you create a waste management plan?

To draw it up, you need to start by obtaining the input and support of the project’s stakeholders. Ask for suggestions on how to be more environmentally friendly, how to improve the efficiency of waste treatment and how to raise employee awareness of the management plan.

Carry out audits:

Next, assess the effectiveness of the current system by carrying out audits on your waste. For example, what type of waste do you produce? How many tonnes of waste overall and the percentage of each type of waste in the total (this is just an example, the analysis needs to be much more thorough to be as effective as possible). After reviewing the results of the audit, identify the development needs, the available budget included or desired, the estimated waste composition, and the current rates of waste reduction and generation. This may be complicated to understand at first, but it is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of your future waste management plan.

Setting targets:

To ensure that your waste management plan can be implemented, adopt a realistic perspective when setting objectives. These objectives should be ‘SMART’ (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).

Once the objectives of the waste management plan have been finalised, carry out the following steps:

3. Prepare an implementation schedule.

During implementation, remember to document everything and involve everyone in the company. Keep the results of audits, document waste disposal and the day-to-day use of the organisation’s resources. Also provide everyone with the tools they need to participate effectively in waste management in your company, such as training, awareness campaigns, group discussions and digital checklists.

The waste management checklist.

The different types of waste management systems.

There are several types of waste management system. Here are the main ones:

1. Reduction at source :

• Minimising waste production right from the product design stage.
• Use of less polluting and more durable materials.
• Optimising production processes to reduce waste.

2. Reuse :

• Extend the life of products by reusing them.
• Encourage the donation or sale of used products.
• Use refillable or reusable products.

3. Recycling :

• Transformation of waste into new products.
• Selective collection of recyclable materials such as paper, glass, plastic and metals.
• Composting organic waste to produce compost.

4. Composting :

• Converting organic waste into compost.
• Use of food and garden waste to enrich the soil.
• Reduce waste sent to landfill.

5. Incineration :

• Burning waste to reduce its volume.
• Energy production from waste combustion.
• Management of combustion residues and pollutant emissions.

6. Landfill :

• Burial of waste in specially prepared sites.
• Management of leachates and gas emissions (such as methane).
• Environmental monitoring of landfill sites.

7. Energy recovery :

• Converting waste into energy (electricity, heat).
• Using technologies such as methanisation, gasification or pyrolysis.
• Reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

8. Management of electronic waste (E-Waste):

• Collection and recycling of end-of-life electronic devices.
• Extraction of precious materials (gold, silver, copper) and reusable components.
• Management of hazardous substances present in electronic equipment.

Each of these methods plays its part in overall waste management, helping to reduce your environmental impact and promoting a more sustainable use of resources.

Waste management is a small step for companies to help protect the environment. By combining the different methods mentioned above, such as reduction at source, reuse, recycling, composting and energy recovery, we can treat waste more responsibly and economically. Each approach is important, and together they can help you minimise your environmental impact.

Adopting safe and efficient practices is crucial. By working collectively to better manage waste in the workplace, we are contributing to a cleaner, healthier future for everyone.

What Greenoffice can do for your waste management plan.

Green Office can help you manage your company’s waste more effectively.

Advice and support

We advise you on the choice of solutions and locations. This global approach guarantees optimisation and quality of sorting with the highest proportion of waste recovery. At the same time, it brings you significant operating savings.

Our attractive waste sorting solutions

We have developed a unique range of company waste sorting solutions. Designed to optimise waste management while maximising its recovery. As well as improving operational efficiency, these solutions contribute to significant savings on operating costs.

We have a wide range of products customisable with different styles and shapes to best suit your needs and premises.

Digital sorting solutions

Our digital solutions help companies to involve their employees in order to become more efficient in managing their waste. All the while realising savings in their operating costs.

We have a help application for sorting and recycling (Green.Me) to make managing internal services faster and more flexible. Through the use of connected litter bins, facilitating the experience at work.

As well as sorting solutions and innovative software (Wiew) that will help you sort better, optimise and reduce your waste. Wiew helps you to manage your waste collection more efficiently, benefit from better organisation and rapidly reduce your operational costs. Through the use of connected bins, making the workplace experience easier and helping you to better manage your company’s waste.