Retailers generate a large amount of waste, including packaging, unsold products, and other general waste. Packaging may include cardboard, plastic, and papers, all of which can be recycled into new products. Reducing waste in this industry is key to boosting recycling rates and reducing pollution in this industry, but how exactly can you achieve this?
4 Tips To Reduce Waste In Retail
Conduct a Waste Audit
A waste audit is a process used to measure the types of waste you produce, volumes and disposal activity. This helps you analyse areas of improvement and materials that are being missed in the recycling process. You can then segregate your waste by category, and ensure all recyclables are being disposed of correctly.
Encourage Your Team
Ensure that your team understands the importance of reducing and recycling waste, and are following the correct disposal guidelines. Creating a collective effort to boost your business’s green credentials can help achieve the goal. This will not only increase your sustainability but also bring employees closer towards reaching a target; it may be handy to set specific targets that will push your team.
Sustainable Packaging
Packaging is a significant contributor to waste in the retail industry. Retailers can make a substantial impact by choosing eco-friendly packaging materials. This includes materials that are biodegradable, compostable, or easily recyclable.
Beyond the material choice, it’s also essential to evaluate the size and amount of packaging used. Over-packaging not only incurs additional costs for businesses but also results in unnecessary waste.
By ensuring that the packaging size is proportionate to the product and that the amount of packaging material is minimised, retailers can substantially reduce their environmental footprint.
Partner With A Waste Management Company
Waste management companies such as Bailey’s Skip Hire & Recycling offer commercial recycling services for businesses. We collect waste materials such as cardboard, general waste, plastic and more from companies across the Northamptonshire area. We offer both segregated and mixed recycling solutions, and therefore provide skips for both.
Hire A Skip For Retail Waste
If you generate large volumes of retail waste, it can be handy to hire a skip. We provide various skip sizes depending on the size of your business. Our skips can hold retail waste such as cardboard, paper, plastic and textile products. All of the waste we collect from our skips is transported to our recycling facility to be transferred into new products by manufacturers.
