Just like when you own your own home, when you run a business you have a responsibility to your community to be considerate of the impact your company has on the environment. Whether you run a restaurant, an office or a construction site, there’s no doubt that you will be producing a considerable amount of waste every day. In fact, according to WRAP (the government Waste Resources Action Programme), businesses in England contribute to a quarter of all waste produced per year.
Whilst it’s fair to say that, as a business owner, you have a lot on your plate, ensuring you dispose of your waste responsibly should be high on your list of priorities when it comes to running your business. The irresponsible management of waste will not only cost the health of the environment, but could also end up eating up your business finances in landfill taxes and waste disposal fines.
Thankfully, professional waste disposal companies such as ourselves here at Devon Contract Waste are on hand to help. Your local waste experts can assist you in managing your business waste with optimum responsibility and efficiency. They’ll help you to create a recycling scheme that works for your business and support you in all areas of waste disposal. One of the main ways in which they’ll do this is by offering various waste receptacles for hire so you can organise your waste with ease.
In this blog, we’ll explore what types of waste receptacles are available, what they’re used for and which types of businesses might benefit from the different options.
Bags and sacks offer a convenient way of disposing of waste if you only generate a small amount on your business premises. When a large bin or skip seems excessive, you can hire bags and sacks from your recycling company to store your day to day waste and dry mixed recycling.
Most office-based businesses choose this route of waste disposal as it’s unlikely that they’ll produce an excessive amount day to day. This is particularly true if your office is located in a shared office block which has large bins on-site; you just need sacks to transfer your waste from your premises to the shared bins. Also, if you have restricted space in your office and/or no outside land to store wheelie bins, a set of sacks will suit just fine.
You may be wondering, why not just buy normal bin bags from the local supermarket? Well, recycling centres offer specialist bags and sacks that are more eco-friendly and are made specifically for business owners who need certain features. For example, the sacks you get from recycling experts are often totally recyclable, making them a more sustainable option.
Furthermore, you can also get specialist data protection bags for confidential waste – thick, safe-seal bags which can be shredded. If your premises produces clinical or sanitary waste, you can also obtain the relevant bags and sacks for this type of waste.
For businesses that produce larger amounts of waste, having a set of wheelie bins permanently on-site is the most effective solution for ensuring you recycle as much as possible. With a set of bins, all dedicated to different types of waste, all you have to do is ensure you put the correct materials in the bins at the end of each day. They will then be collected and sorted by your recycling company.
Wheelie bins are available in a range of sizes, from 25 litres to 10 cubic yards and the size you choose really depends on how much waste you produce. Plus, bins are designated to different types of recycling so that they can be disposed of properly, but also efficiently. Below, we go into detail about the different types of waste recycling that you’ll need separate bins for.
If you run an office-based business, it’s likely that you’ll have a fair amount of paper and cardboard to dispose of. Whether it’s files and documents or packaging for new equipment and furniture, you need to make sure you’re recycling everything properly. By hiring a paper recycling bin, you’ll have one designated space to store your paper recycling so it can be collected by your chosen recycling company.
However, if the waste you’re throwing away contains sensitive data, you’ll need to consider specialist data protection bins. Any reputable waste disposal company will offer aluminium data bins which are available in various sizes. These lockable bins feature a mechanical slot, giving you the peace of mind that whatever you throw away can’t be accessed by the general public.
If you run a bar or restaurant, at least one of the bins you hire will most definitely be dedicated to glass recycling. From empty bottles of wine and beer to empty jars of food, your glass bin will fill up quickly after a busy service. Luckily, glass is one of the only materials that is 100% recyclable, no matter the colour of the glass, so it’s easy to do your bit for the environment; with a bottle bin, it’s even easier.
Your waste contractors will collect your glass bin when it suits you, saving you from having to transfer heavy glass recycling yourself. The only thing you need to do is try to clean the glass of any food or drink prior to disposing of it into the bin, as this makes it easier to recycle.
Plastic is the primary material used to produce all types of products and packaging, so no matter the type of business you run, you’ll no doubt produce plastic recycling. From cafes to warehouses, plastic recycling could well be the most essential bin you have in your set. Having a plastic bin means you can put it all in one place, without the confusion of trying to work out which type of plastic goes where at the recycling centre – your waste disposal team will sort it for you.
However, much like glass recycling, you should try to sort through your plastic food packaging and make sure it’s clean before throwing it into your bin. Many people don’t realise that plastic can’t be recycled if it’s stained or contaminated by food residue.
Along with glass and plastic, businesses like restaurants and cafes will most definitely need food waste recycling. Food waste can’t be contaminated with any other materials, so it’s essential to hire a separate bin for any waste product that comes from your restaurant kitchen.
You may wish to hire a large food waste bin to sit with your other wheelie bins, as well as smaller food caddy bins for use throughout service. Your recycling centre can supply both of these, as well as biodegradable corn starch bin liners, designed to make food waste recycling more hygienic. After being collected, food waste is sent for energy production and composting, hence why it’s so important to keep it separate from other waste types.
If your business produces hazardous waste, you’ll need to speak to your local waste contractors about hiring specialist hazardous waste drums. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), certain types of waste are considered hazardous under environmental legislation when it contains substances or has properties that could make it potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Hazardous waste is an umbrella term that refers to many different types of materials, including:
● Asbestos
● Chemicals, such as brake fluid or print toner
● Batteries
● Solvents
● Pesticides
● Oils (not including edible oils), such as car oil
● Equipment containing ozone-depleting substances, like fridges
● Fluorescent bulbs (for which specialist plastic tubes are used for disposal)
● Hazardous waste containers themselves
There are many businesses that produce hazardous waste, however, the key contributors are construction, automotive, agricultural and manufacturing businesses. If your company falls under these categories or produces any of the waste types described above, you’ll need to hire dedicated hazardous waste drums so that the materials can be disposed of responsibly by professionals and avoid harming your local community or the environment.
Hazardous waste is in a similar ballpark to clinical waste, as this is another type of waste which must be disposed of responsibly due to its potential to cause harm to others or to the environment. Clinical waste is waste that emerges from medical, nursing, dental or similar environments. Some examples of clinical waste include syringes, needles, bandages and dressings that have been contaminated with blood or other sharps. Clinical waste bins are organised by a universal colour coding system, directing the user as to which bin is suitable for each type of waste. If your business produces clinical waste, it’s essential that you hire the correct clinical waste bins and that your chosen waste contractor can reliably dispose of your waste.
Trust Devon Contract Waste to manage your business recycling today
If you’re based in the South West and are looking for a reliable and eco-friendly solution to waste disposal, look no further than Devon Contract Waste. We’re capable of handling an extensive range of waste types, including the more complex hazardous, clinical and confidential waste, in an efficient and responsible manner. In order for our customers to manage their business waste, we offer a variety of container types, including those described above, as well as skips for businesses who are carrying out construction work and need a temporary solution.
We’re dedicated to providing sustainable and eco-friendly waste management to our commercial customers, which is why we’ve made it our mission to recycle as much waste as possible. Our Zero to Landfill solution ensures that none of the waste we collect goes to landfill and is the only one of its kind down here in the South West. So, if you want to give your business the eco stamp of approval, get in touch with us today.