If you own or manage a large commercial business with a shipping or manufacturing department, then you probably already know that your company produces a great deal of waste. It may not be surprising that the United States, as a country, produces an astounding amount of waste each and every year. In 2014, about 258 million tons of waste was created. While some of this waste is from residential sources, a great deal of the garbage is created by businesses. Unfortunately, waste management may be quite expensive. If you want to reduce your dumpster rental and waste management costs, then keep reading to understand how a recycling dumpster can help you.
Recycling Vs. Garbage Dumpsters
One of the easiest ways to reduce your waste management costs is to invest in recycling instead of basic and all-inclusive garbage collection. If your business simply collects all refuse and throws it into the dumpster at the end of the day, then your dumpster likely fills up quickly. Dumpster rental services are based on two things; the size of the actual dumpster and the number of collections completed each month. Some dumpster rental companies will pick up garbage weekly, and if you happen to fill up the dumpster quickly, then a larger one will be provided to you.
Other dumpster businesses will supply whichever dumpster you choose and will charge based on the number of garbage pickups. On average, you should expect to pay a little less than double as you double the size of the dumpster or the number of pickups that you need.
The good news is that recycling dumpsters are typically a lot cheaper than garbage dumpsters. The cost savings are provided in an effort to encourage environmentally friendly practices. Also, recycling waste is much cheaper for the dumpster rental company to deal with than garbage. The savings are passed on to you.
Complete A Waste Management Evaluation
Before you take the plunge and rent a recycling dumpster, you probably want to figure out if it is actually worth it or not. To understand this better, you should complete a waste management evaluation in your business. This involves asking all staff and employees to separate their waste and then place the garbage in appropriate bins.
You will need to set up separate bins throughout your business that are meant to collect glass, organic, paper, metal, and plastic wastes. The bins should be color coded and labeled to assist staff in using the correct ones when throwing out their trash. Collect trash in these bins for a month and assess the waste each week. You will likely notice that paper and plastic wastes make up the bulk of the refuse. This is normal, and both of these materials are recyclable.
If you notice an overwhelming amount of recyclable material as opposed to organic refuse, then rent a recycling dumpster and a small garbage dumpster too.
You also should consider some waste reduction methods after evaluating the garbage and recyclable materials. For example, if paper waste seems excessive, then consider implementing some paperless business practices. Ask employees to use tablets to monitor orders instead of printing purchase orders and internal shipping slips. Emails should also be encouraged instead of sending out paper memos. If files and folders are needed in the business, then start buying reusable plastic varieties instead of disposable paper ones.
Plastic wastes can be cut down in a similar manner as paper wastes, and this can reduce your recycling needs. If you reduce waste enough, you can schedule a recycling pickup every other week instead of once a week to reduce costs even further.
