The 5 R’s of Waste Management.
When most people think of waste management they simply think of recycling, actually though, recycling should be the last resort when it comes to waste management. The 5 R’s as they are commonly referred to, are a list of measures taken to control the amount of waste any business or individual produces. The steps are listed in order of their effectiveness, and you should always try to maximise each step before moving on to the next.
The 5 R’s are; refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and lastly, recycle, in this short guide, we’ll look at each one in turn and see how you could implement them in your business. This is a tried and tested process that has been shown to reduce the amount of waste a business produces. Remember, recycling is the last resort once all other stages of the pyramid have been fully implemented.
Refuse.
Just say no. Sounds easy but you may need to get creative to implement this properly in your business. Essentially this step is all about not creating waste in the first place, as they say, prevention is better than a cure after all.
An example of this could be not using single-use plastics in packaging materials, this means working closely with your procurement team to ensure they are not buying products with unnecessary packaging, or packaging that can only be used once. Most suppliers these days are environmentally conscious too and they will be looking for ways to reduce their impact.
Being more intentional at the buying stage and working together with suppliers before buying will help you ‘refuse’ any waste coming into your business.
Reduce.
Limiting the amount of waste produced will help your business both save money and help the environment. The goal of this step is simple: if you can’t refuse waste material, keep it to a minimum.
A practical example of this would be printing on both sides of the paper when printing documents or using fewer packaging materials when shipping goods.
Reuse.
There are many single-use products nowadays, fortunately, consumers have become aware of the issues using these products create and are now moving to more sustainable products. In business settings, particularly manufacturing, there are numerous examples where items can be reused rather than disposed of.
Examples of this include reusing packaging materials such as bubble wrap or cardboard outers, or even choosing items such as refillable ink cartridges and rechargeable batteries.
Repurpose.
This is where you can let your imagination run wild, essentially if none of the previous steps work, is there a way you could use your waste materials to create something else?
Could old food containers become office storage (my grandma used to have an old pot noodle tin as a pen pot!)? Could you use wastepaper as packaging material instead of bubble wrap? Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun! You could even use some cardboard boxes to make a fort!
Recycle.
We told you it came last! After all the other steps have been completed, if you still have waste then it needs to be recycled. This will still involve some work on your part I’m afraid, you’ll need to separate the waste into different material types such as plastic or cardboard. Hopefully by the time you get to this stage your waste pile will be greatly reduced, but by recycling you will be helping ensure even less waste ends up in landfills!
Recycling bins
Hopefully, this short guide has given you the confidence to start managing your own business waste more efficiently. Remember, don’t be afraid to try different ideas, and always try to maximise each step before moving on to the next one.
Managing waste effectively is a journey, at first it will feel difficult, and you’ll make mistakes, but over time as your mindset shifts and new habits start to develop this process will become second nature, and when you see what it does to your bottom line, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start years ago!
If you’d like help implementing this strategy or with any other waste management issues, contact the team here, we love talking rubbish!
Further reading
https://www.sixtownswaste.co.uk/blog/what-is-commercial-waste
https://www.sixtownswaste.co.uk/blog/which-skip-size-do-i-need-choosing-the-right-skip-for-you
Sources
https://www.circlewaste.co.uk/2020/09/16/what-are-the-5-rs-of-waste-management/
https://www.wastemanaged.co.uk/our-news/other/five-rs-of-waste-management/
https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/the-5-rs-of-waste-recycling
