Waste management is always top of mind for maintenance and engineering managers who are tasked with maintaining productive, safe and clean spaces at institutional and commercial facilities. When done effectively, waste management can also help organizations cut costs and meet sustainability goals.
Zero-waste audits are one way for managers to get a handle on the amount and types of waste generated. From there, they can put practices in place to divert as much waste from landfills as possible, eventually reaching the goal of zero waste and eliminating the need for landfilling or burning solid waste. A zero-waste certified program must be able to divert 90 percent of its waste from the landfall, including incineration.
This requires a commitment to recycling, reclamation, reuse, composting, process improvement and procurement practices that avoid the purchase of materials that must be landfilled at end of life, says Brian J. Johnson, director of sustainable practice at The Ashkin Group.
Johnson says a well-executed and comprehensive waste audit can help managers uncover:
“It helps decision makers determine which waste streams must be managed, and subsequently, what collection infrastructure, equipment space and services would be required,” he says.
Beyond the obvious environmental benefits, zero-waste audits also help to improve operational inefficiencies and lower costs by identifying processes that unnecessarily create waste. This could be an overuse of materials, inefficient packaging, wasteful single use materials or inventory waste.
“Everybody has a different reason for doing it, but … if you don’t understand how much you’re generating and what it’s truly costing you, you’re missing out on opportunities to decrease the amount of waste you generate and improve the efficiencies, which will reduce costs,” says Bill Griffith,president and founder, Reduction In Motion.
Waste generation also bears the costs of time and labor — something Johnson says is not often considered. By reducing waste, organizations can directly reduce these types of costs with the potential to even downsize waste hauling services.
“While recycling and repurposing waste also requires time and labor, the value of the material can be recovered through reuse and/or recycling and can then offset other costs,” says Johnson.
While cost benefits are often a direct result of less waste, federal and state mandates around waste management lead many companies to seek better understanding of their own practices.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of the characteristics of the waste streams that they’re generating, and they’re not aware of the laws that are around waste,” says Griffith. “Many states have a recycling mandate.”
North Carolina, for example, is the only state that mandates a rule saying no pallets can be thrown in the landfill. When organizations are not aware of those requirements, monetary penalties and brand reputation are at risk.
Zero-waste audits not only help managers understand what’s actually being thrown out and how to better manage it, but also what liabilities are associated with doing so. This starts with understanding what Griffith calls waste culture, which is how people think and act related to waste. This includes understanding details like:
“During our assessment, we’re going to figure out all those pieces, and then by doing a waste characterization or a waste audit, we’re going to understand what opportunities are inside that stream that we can actually improve the diversion and control their expenses,” says Griffith.
Amy Wunderlin is a freelance writer based in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.
Zero Waste Audits Reduce Costs While Improving ESG Efforts
