The 5 Rs of waste management are steps to help businesses reduce and handle all rubbish they produce sustainably. It breaks down the waste lifecycle into five separate stages, so companies can determine when and where they can act to reduce waste and divert it away from landfill.
Each stage aims to reduce waste at the source and find ways to minimise the environmental impact of its final disposal. The 5 Rs of waste management are a waste hierarchy or pyramid that should be followed in order to form a more environmentally friendly and sustainable workplace.
Improve your commercial waste management and act sustainably by following the 5 Rs, whatever industry and business size you run anywhere in Yorkshire or the UK.
These are the five Rs of waste management:
1. Refuse
The first stage of the 5 Rs of waste management is to refuse materials, items, and products that create avoidable waste. A prime example is refusing single-use plastics and seeking reusable or biodegradable alternatives. This is because most single-use plastics create waste quickly and end up rotting in landfill.
Refusing non-recyclable products such as packaging is another key consideration at this stage. Switch to suppliers that use recyclable or reusable packaging such as paper and cardboard instead of certain types of plastic that are challenging to recycle. Some suppliers may offer returnable packaging and containers, which eliminates potential waste.
Audit everything that comes into your business and work out what types and volumes of waste it all generates. Then think about what’s necessary and what could be cut out (or alternatives that will produce less waste or materials that can be reused or recycled). Refusing to create waste is a great start.
2. Reduce
The next step is to reduce the waste your business produces at the source. Methods of waste reduction vary depending on the type of business and industry. A common example is for offices, shops, and other companies to go paperless by switching to online document storage systems.
Restaurants can work to reduce food waste by reviewing portion sizes and finding ways to make soups and stock from unused meat and vegetable parts. Keeping a tight control over inventory helps cut back on waste for pubs, bars, and shops by minimising the chance of overordering.
Reducing commercial waste means less energy and resources are required to process it, which cuts back on pollution produced when moving and disposing of waste. It also saves your organisation money, as you’ll pay less landfill tax for disposal and need fewer waste collections or can use smaller bins to manage it.
3. Reuse
Finding ways to reuse items that would otherwise become waste is the third step. Certain materials such as glass bottles and jars can be cleaned and reused quite easily. Not all waste is reusable though – the likes of clinical waste must be incinerated for legal and safety reasons.
Some common items you can reuse in businesses to avoid creating waste include:
- Ink cartridges – offices can refill ink cartridges rather than replacing them, which avoids plastic waste and saves money.
- Batteries – switch to rechargeable batteries for use in battery-powered devices to avoid creating battery waste.
- Cutlery and cups – provide metal cutlery, mugs, and glasses in office kitchens for reuse and to discourage buying disposable coffee cups.
- Cardboard boxes – reuse delivery boxes for storage, whether it’s for files or products. You can also reuse to send out your own items.
- Containers – wash and dry food containers made from glass, plastic, and metal and reuse to store dry goods.
4. Repurpose
Not all waste items can be reused for their original intention but repurposing them to prolong their life is another great way to minimise waste. This is often referred to as upcycling and may require a little creativity. All sorts of waste items can be repurposed for various uses.
Old clothing like t-shirts makes great towels or cleaning cloths, empty wine bottles can be converted into candle holders or lighting ornaments, and wooden pallets make decent outdoor furniture. Tin cans could be used to as planters while any type of box is suitable as a storage solution.
Repairing broken items to their original state or for a new purpose is also good. It prevents the items from becoming waste and saves money as you won’t need to buy a replacement. Think of ways to repurpose any waste items your organisation produces to manage waste better.
5. Recycle
The final step of the 5 Rs of waste management is to recycle waste. If there’s no way to reduce, reuse, or repurpose waste then it should be recycled where possible. For any businesses that only produce small amounts of waste a dry mixed recycling bin might suffice. Otherwise you should separate and recycle waste by their materials:
- Glass recycling
- Paper recycling
- Cardboard recycling
- Plastic recycling
- Metal recycling
At Divert we ensure all waste is recycled and kept away from landfill. We provide free bins to help companies recycle with no bin hire or delivery fees – you only pay for collection. Call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online today for a free quote for recycling collections from your business anywhere across Yorkshire.
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