It is essential that your business is aware of what waste it produces so it can be properly disposed of. In this article we look into what business waste is and list the major types of business waste.
What is Business Waste?
Business waste is the umbrella term used to describe the waste or refuse materials generated by any commercial activity. According to Waste Resources Action Programme data, of all the waste generated here in the UK, roughly 25% of it is designated as business waste.
Of course, the types of waste classed as business waste can differ depending on the type of work a business conducts and the industry they work in. Therefore, many waste types fall into this category. It also means that rising Landfill Taxes and waste costs will apply, depending on the type of waste your business produces.
Major Types of Business Waste
While it may sound vague to say that almost any type of waste can be classed as business waste, so long as a commercial organisation generates it, further categorisations exist.
For example, these can include construction waste from building sites, paper waste from commercial offices and many other specific types of commercial waste. These specific breakdowns of the types of business waste you produce can help you identify your specific responsibilities regarding waste disposal.
General Waste
General waste is essentially any waste that a business produces, regardless of which industry they belong to. This includes any trade waste produced that you cannot recycle. This waste can include used tissue paper and napkins, food waste, contaminated packaging, laminated paper and polystyrene.
Given that this type of waste will be going to the landfill, you should ensure that there are appropriate recycling facilities in your business for other materials that you can recycle.
Food Waste
As you might expect, food waste found in the commercial waste of businesses such as restaurants and cafes also counts as business waste. While every one of us produces food waste, once you dispose of it in a commercial capacity, it is then classed as business waste.
According to several environment agency data pools, food waste accounts for the largest proportion of our global waste production. A shocking statistic comes from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) with the United Nations.
According to their data, we throw away up to 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste each year as a planet, which equates to roughly 1/3 of global food production.
One of the largest contributors to this is the large quantities of business waste from commercial operators. Not only is this an environmental tragedy, but given that this waste is coming from businesses, we can put a monetary figure on this waste. Global food waste adds up to over £800 billion being thrown away each year.
Most of this food is still good enough to eat but is thrown away by supermarkets or consumers once it reaches its use-by date, but also comprises leftovers scraped into the bin.
Ultimately it is our poor consumption habits that lead to this waste, meaning we need to change how we produce, purchase, store and consume food if we are going to cut down. If we find better ways to use this surplus food, we can have a positive impact on our environment and our wallets by limiting our food waste.
Dry Mixed Recycling
With increasing temperatures around the globe, it brings some of the most extreme weather anyone has ever seen. There is increasing pressure on us to keep waste to a minimum and make a real difference to our environment.
Dry mixed recycling is one of the main ways we can do this. This type of waste is any non-contaminated pieces of refuse that can be recycled, such as paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and food tins.
Regardless of their operations, many businesses will produce this type of waste. Ensuring that there are appropriate ways to recycle is the best way for your business to help the environment.
Glass Waste
Glass waste is another common type of refuse that most businesses will produce.
Of course, there are some industries where glass waste is more common than others, such as the restaurant industry, hospitality services or glass manufacturers.
It is so common that glass makes up roughly 4% of the waste we produce globally. This can include glass bottles, broken drinking glasses or glass plates.
Glass is widely recyclable now, and ensuring that all of your glass waste is recycled responsibly is the best way to move forward regarding our environmental impact.
Secure Document Shredding
Secure document shredding is undertaken to preserve confidentiality and prevent any sensitive information from being leaked. A natural result of this is paper document waste. Shredded client document information is conducted as part of business activity.
Therefore this paper waste is classed as business waste. Secure documents that might be shredded include employee information, company financials, client information documents and other waste.
Any business dealing with these kinds of paperwork, such as law or accountancy firms, will naturally generate paper waste that they should recycle.
Hazardous Waste
Industries and companies that deal in toxic substances will typically produce hazardous waste that sometimes requires the help of a specialist waste management company to dispose of safely.
This type of waste is usually chemical, so it can often be very harmful to the environment, animals, plants and humans if disposed of incorrectly. Materials considered hazardous can be corrosive, toxic, flammable, oxidising, poisonous, infectious or reactive.
Materials that fall into these categories include:
- Diesel
- Petrol
- Mechanical oil
- Engine oil
- Crude oil
- Kerosene
- Antifreeze
- Dry cleaning solutions
- Cleaning solvents
- Pool cleaning chemicals
- Adhesives
- Lead paint
- Paint stripper
- Paint thinner
- Latex
- Chemical fertiliser
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
- Fungicides
The industries most likely to produce hazardous waste include paint manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, paper manufacturers and oil refineries.
Clinical Waste
As you can imagine, clinical waste is produced by businesses and organisations in the healthcare industry. These include hospitals, dentists, pharmacies and even tattoo parlours.
Any type of pharmaceutical waste that poses a threat of infection can be classified as clinical waste and therefore needs to be disposed of appropriately. Things that are classed as clinical waste include needles, swabs, bandages, lancets, syringes, pipettes, scalpels, trocar, bodily fluids, excretions and drugs.
You can wind up in serious trouble, even with a prison sentence and unlimited fines, if you don't dispose of clinical waste safely, given the need to protect human health.
While all waste needs to be disposed of or recycled as appropriate, as for hazardous materials, clinical materials have strict rules regarding how you dispose of waste illegally or per legislation. Aside from legal responsibility regarding clinical waste, it is also best for you and your employees that you take extra care when disposing of your clinical waste.
Washroom Waste
Any business offering washrooms or toilet facilities to employees or customers will produce washroom waste. This includes paper towels, toilet rolls, sanitary products and many more.
Given that these are classed as business waste when produced on your premises, there are guidelines on how you must safely dispose of your business waste properly.
Another element of washroom waste to bear in mind is the sewage generated in your facilities. All toilet systems send wastewater from toilets, sinks and showers into the sewage system.
This is also classed as waste emanating from your business, and you are responsible for ensuring your sewage disposal system is safe and operational. Again, almost all businesses will have to follow these guidelines, apart from those who do not offer bathroom facilities.
Business Waste Duty of Care
The Environment Protection Act 1990 outlines the Duty of Care business owners have to dispose of their waste safely and responsibly, specifically in Section 34. This is legislation from the British Government and must be adhered to by all business owners.
Section 34 states that:
- You must store their waste safely and securely.
- You must prevent waste from damaging people or the environment.
- You must ensure that licensed waste management companies or registered waste collectors gather your waste for landfill sites or recycling centres run by your local council.
- You must maintain as much control over your waste as possible.
- You must affix waste transfer notes to the items you discard if you outsource your commercial waste removal service to registered waste carriers or waste collection providers.
- You must employ the 'Waste Management Hierarchy' of Prevent, Reuse, Recycle, Recover.
What Small Businesses can do about their Waste
Even small businesses need to adhere to government legislation regarding the safe disposal of business waste. This means you must dispose of your waste effectively and efficiently along with good waste management practices, including:
Waste Audits
These help you understand what types of waste your business is producing, how much you are generating, where it is coming from and how quickly you are producing it. These figures are usually measured in litres, given that commercial and industrial waste bins are also measured in litres. Performing audits can also help you save money by reducing the waste your business creates.
Outsourcing
Waste Segregation
When you hire a third-party waste management service to handle your waste, your waste audit information will tell them what size bins to provide and what collection service schedule to follow.
Ensure that your employees know which waste needs to be recycled and which can go into the general landfill waste bin.
Storage
Paperwork
Ensure that your waste containers or bins are placed in a safe place that is also accessible for your waste management service.
Ensure that all of your waste transfer notes are signed and filled out correctly, keeping copies for yourself in a secure place.
While these are perfect for small companies, your waste management needs will increase as your business grows, so make sure to change your waste management practices to accommodate these increased needs.
You can also anticipate changes to your waste stream, allowing you to plan for the future and change your waste management according to the increased waste you anticipate.
Call us today, and we can give advice on what would be the best-sized skip for your end of tenancy cleaning out.