Because manufacturing operations and product output are diverse, no single waste management strategy is applicable to all organisations. There are, however, some best practice approaches and procedures which EnviroServ uses to help clarify and prioritise your waste management needs and indicate what baseline implementation activities you must undertake.
It’s important to start by understanding what waste management initiatives will improve your organisation’s sustainability. These must align with applicable legislation and general waste management and manufacturing sector best practices.
Opting for integrated waste management, which offers the highest number of operational, balance sheet, stakeholder, and reputational benefits at least cost, enables you to rationalise and streamline processes, equipment and materials.
Integrated waste management results in:
Another major consideration for manufacturing companies is emissions to air, water, and the environment, usually governed by legislation for the industry. However, compliance is usually a defensive process, begrudged by many organisations whose bottom line is under strain. Organisations tend to forget that they also have pro-active, productive options, such as earning revenue from carbon credits granted for reduction of emissions.
To know where in the waste hierarchy you want to position your company, it is important to have waste reduction and waste minimisation policies, and waste prevention initiatives. These will dictate whether you separate your waste on site and re-use or recycle waste internally or externally.
Into your integrated waste management plan, you will need to build your decisions on, among others, your energy consumption. This must include not only your own energy consumption needed for production, packaging, and marketing, but the energy consumption of your suppliers. Some of your criteria for choosing suppliers must centre on their waste management effectiveness.
These are not easy decisions to make without knowing what best practice is, what others in your sector are doing, and how much of what you need to do can be outsourced to companies like us, reducing your overhead burden and risk.
If outsourcing doesn’t work for you, there are many products and services we can offer which will reduce your waste management obligations while keeping you compliant.
Which is why EnviroServ offers an advisory service that helps you identify your needs and create appropriate plans around them. Because we have been serving the manufacturing sector for more than four decades, we know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to waste management delivering business value in terms of safety, performance, and cost reduction.
We also have the equipment, facilities, and expertise to help you implement proven waste management programmes on site or to outsource your waste management to best effect.
If outsourcing doesn’t work for you, there are many products and services we can offer which will reduce your waste management obligations while keeping you compliant.
If you would like to find out about options for your organisation, please contact our Customer Care Line on 0800 192 783 for South African enquiries and click here for the contact details for enquiries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
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