All businesses produce waste, so it is crucial that your organisation takes its consideration of the handling of commercial waste seriously. But what is 'commercial waste'? Simply put, commercial waste is any waste that comes from trade purposes or is produced through running a business. Any business has a duty of care to dispose of their waste responsibly, whether your industry is manufacturing or clerical, hospitality, healthcare or education.   

Waste takes many forms, and it is important to understand the most common types of waste to better understand how they can be disposed of.  

• Plastic (bottles, packaging)  

• General waste  

• Hazardous waste (chemicals, batteries, even printer cartridges)  

• Glass (bottles, jars)  

• Paper and cardboard (documents, packaging)  

• Food waste  

• Metal  

Managing your waste effectively has positive results for your business and the environment. Still more than that, it is a legal requirement to ensure that you have the relevant waste management processes in place with waste transfer notes to ensure that waste is being disposed of responsibly.   

What is integrated waste management?  

Integrated waste management is the process of combining various strategies to achieve both good waste management and waste reduction. Start by looking at the most favourable way to cut down on waste production and then at how to manage the most potentially damaging processes.   
Reduction – cut down on the usage of products unnecessarily. Avoid overuse of consumables such as food or paper, for example.  
Reuse – Where possible, reuse materials that do not need to be thrown away (shopping bags, jars etc.)  
Recycle – Use recycling facilities to repurpose and reprocess material to divert them from landfill  
Recovery – Waste to energy recovery from waste before disposal (bio-mass, RDF and incineration)  
Disposal – the last resort. Usually, ending up in a landfill  

By considering the processes behind Integrated Waste Management, we can start to look at how those practices can improve your company's impact on the environment and look at any efficiencies that good practice can provide.   

How can good waste management impact my business?  

It is an important business process to consider when planning the disposal of your commercial waste. Managing your waste streams effectively has many positive impacts for your business.   

Employing effective waste management and disposal is cost-effective. Cost savings can be made by cutting back on the use of consumables and only purchasing what you need. This will also save you money on your disposal costs.  

Cutting down our carbon footprint is something that is now at the forefront of the running of a business. Our responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment and minimise our contribution to the climate crisis is imperative, and all companies have a duty of care to take this into consideration.   

Applying good waste management strategies across your business can also make your organisation more efficient. Time spent preparing nonessential items can be used more positively and create a leaner organisation.  

Having a positive impact on the world around us results in a positive impression of your business. Customers and clients will look upon your company favourably if they see that you take your environmental impact seriously.   

If waste is not disposed of responsibly, it can end up in landfill or being fly-tipped, which not only has a detrimental effect on the environment but is also illegal.