How to reduce business waste

23 Nov How to reduce business waste

Posted at 10:13h in sustainability by

We’ve got one easy answer to how to reduce business waste – join the NPDC Resource Wise Business Programme!

The free council run programme is designed to help businesses reduce waste to landfill over a four-year period. It involves annual waste audits and a detailed waste report, tailored actions for your organisation and support to engage your team in behaviour change. There are achievement stages with visible targets to aim for along the way and make it more attractive for your team and other stakeholders.

Why sign up?
We signed up to the programme earlier this year with the aim to take our sustainability journey up a notch. We already have a sustainability plan in place with good recycling and business processes in place. We’ve also entered the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards in the past to test our processes and be accountable. But, we know we can do better. When we heard about the measuring, accountability and access to best practise ideas of the Resource Wise Business programme we were sold.

Based on our first audit we’ve reached silver status, that means we already divert 50% of our waste from landfill. Our next target is gold, which has us aiming to divert 70% of our waste from landfill.

Other reasons to take part in the programme include possible cost savings, enhancing our brand as more and more customers seek to support businesses who are doing their bit for the environment and being a more attractive employer – many employees are motivated by working for companies that take active steps to reduce waste and improve sustainability.

What’s involved
So far, we’ve attended a workshop, committed two internal waste champions and taken part in a waste audit. The audit involved tipping all our waste (first landfill, then compost and recyclables) onto a big tarp and then categorising and weighing each category of waste as directed by NPDC’s Commercial Waste Minimisation Officer Dominique Scarf.

This was then analysed by NPDC and turned into numbers and graphs and a report that included practical suggestions for what to do with the waste that was tripping us up on our journey to gold! Our biggest culprits were soft plastics (sometimes our lovely promotional items come bagged so the printing is protected) and paper towels! There were a few contaminated recyclables (dirty takeaway lunch containers) that slipped through too.

What’s next?
Part of the Resource Wise Business Programme is getting advice about what and how we can change systems and individual behaviours. It also includes help co-designing achievable actions for improvement, and the support to make the changes.

During the waste audit process there was plenty to learn. We discovered more about The Junction and all the items we can take to the recycling stations there (milk bottle tops, toothpaste tubes, old stationery etc), insights into what commercial systems are available, and systems and processes other workplaces have in place.

When the results were presented to our waste champions we decided on the actions that will help us reach our goal of 70% waste diverted from landfill and work towards our gold medal status!

A trip out to The Junction and the NPDC recycling sorting facility is on the cards to see what happens to our waste. This will follow an all staff get together where we have our waste results explained to the team by our internal waste champions and the council’s Commercial Waste Minimisation Officer to help get everyone on the same page. Other things we are keen to try are removing the individual rubbish bins from under our desks and making use of our centralised recycling station. We’re also keen to introduce some shared reusable takeout containers for those days when we want or need to buy lunch.

Networking with other businesses in the programme will also be invaluable, there’s nothing like hearing about how other people in the same boat are managing change.

Our challenge to you!
You don’t need to be part of the programme to reduce your business waste though. There’s plenty of resources on the Zero Waste Taranaki and council websites, and we’re happy to share our sustainability plan. Ask around in your team if anyone has an interest or passion in this area – who knows, you may have the perfect champions to drive change right under your nose.

If you are keen on the NPDC Resource Wise Business Programme or would like to or to book a site visit for free waste reduction advice contact NPDC on commercialwaste@npdc.govt.nz.

 

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