Offices can produce a surprising amount of waste byproducts, even if their work doesn’t revolve around manufacturing or production. If we take all the processes in an office that can produce waste—even those that aren’t work-related—we can see a rather alarming amount of waste generated.
This makes waste collection and disposal a necessity for companies that wish to comply with safety and environmental protocols. Fortunately, these methods aren’t complicated and can easily be implemented no matter the setting or the industry, and the practices can be scaled up or down if necessary. Waste management has also become a mandate of many jurisdictions worldwide in accordance with international environmental laws, making compliance a necessity.
So, how can you dispose of office waste properly?
Sorting
The first step in properly disposing of the waste is identifying it correctly. Depending on the industry, offices can produce a variety of waste products that can be difficult to categorize. In this regard, having a system around that can be used to easily sort waste products and keeping your employees or personnel aware of this system is a good place to start.
Sorting waste systems can contribute to proper waste disposal by minimizing cross-contamination with other forms of waste, a common concern in any materials handling facility. Conducting regular training about the importance of sorting waste in the workplace, informing facilities management, and creating separate disposal and collection bins are all a part of this step.
Handling
Like any package, waste should be carefully handled in order to avoid leaking, spillage, or contamination of other parts of the workplace. This also pertains to how the waste material is handled on the way to the disposal facility—proper care and equipment should be used in order to avoid potential harm toward the handler or anyone in their vicinity.
Handling office waste can be done by anyone in the workplace, but several people must be given the exact responsibility for handling more harmful types of waste. This can also cover the waste generated by accidents and errors at the office, making it important for qualified personnel to handle such cases.
Disposal methods
There are different disposal methods that each company can use when it comes to their trash. However, certain considerations need to be considered when it comes to the waste generated by the office. For example, if there’s a lot of paper waste, the company may choose to partner with a paper shredding company to dispose of their papers safely and securely. This also ensures that the information on those documents is destroyed completely to avoid a data breach.
While it can also be tempting to simply leave the trash out for collection by usual means, there is a lot of benefits to a company actually taking charge of waste management. It gives a company more control over the materials it uses, as well as lower operational costs. There are also several environmental benefits and green initiatives that can help offset the costs of switching to a more robust waste management system.