Understanding the Basics and Needs of Waste Audit for Your Business

When you think of the utility bills paid by a business, waste management is likely not on the top of the list of things that come to your mind. Yet, it could very well be taking out more than just your trash. Waste management bills could be carrying away a significant portion of your utility budget, and you might even be aware of it.

The good news is that waste audit facilities exist to counter the trend. They will conduct thorough evaluations of your company’s waste and recycling management processes and identify the pain points. This process will help save your business money in the short and long term. It will also make the waste management process more efficient.

Conducting a waste audit is needed for a host of reasons like:

Waste Reduction

The amount of waste produced varies by a business’s industry. Waste is classified broadly into wet and dry waste. The IT sector, for example, produces a negligible quantity of wet waste as opposed to those in the food and beverage sector. The former produces considerable dry waste in its operation compared to the latter.

An audit will provide insights into waste reduction processes customized to suit that particular business. It will produce data showcasing the quantity of waste produced at fixed intervals. It will help track the waste’s source by identifying its particulars and retracing its steps back from the bin.

Waste Type Identification

Some don’t put too much thought into the type of waste they’re throwing away. These people also don’t consider the impact their handling of waste could have on the environment.

An audit identifies the type of waste thrown away and the best way to do so. Different types of waste require specific handling measures, even under the same category as dry waste. Electronic waste contains toxic substances that can’t be dumped in a landfill. Paper and plastic should go into recycling, just like glass and metal.

Identifying the type of waste and its exact quantity is essential to avoiding financial and environmental problems.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Waste Management Mechanisms

Reducing waste happens through the efficient use of present resources and enactment of policies reinforcing the same. The audit helps provide a roadmap to the development of such policies. Alternatively, it could help measure how effective currently enacted policies are.

It will compare a business’s waste management strategy against the standard/industry best practices. All shortcomings harming the business’s waste management efficiency will be recognized and evaluated for reduction or elimination. It will lead to the creation of better, more effective strategies.

Better Public Image

Customers today want companies to be transparent about their environment-protection measures. Adopting quality waste management processes after an audit will help build trust in the brand. This trust will translate to an increase in business eventually.

Some of the most common audit processes are:

• Scrutinizing of bills provided by the waste management and recycling company.
• Judging the cost-effectiveness of items present on the invoice.
• Report creation containing the data of associated errors and excessive charges.
• Possibly renegotiating existing contracts based on agency experience and data.
• Push for changes to recycling measures and programs to improve their effectiveness.
• Checking the equipment currently in use and recommending changes if needed to improve their extent of utilization.
• Ensuring that all policies and practices are following all applicable regulations.
• Incessant monitoring of waste management charges checking for changes in expenses related to the purpose.
• Verifying if the current bill is around the average amount obtained by evaluating past invoices.

These measures help stop overspending on waste and recycling management and save money in the long run.

All items used for business will ultimately end up as waste. A waste audit pushes out only the unwanted things, improving the business’s standing.