Organizing Your Business with Waste Management in Mind

Is your business organized with waste management in mind? Sound business procedures and policies are important to any successful company. Developing or modifying business procedures to avoid unnecessary waste management costs and take advantage of your environmental efforts will increase their effectiveness.

By incorporating the suggestions below into your general business procedures - marketing, accounting, recordkeeping, personnel policies, and operations - you will increase your firm’s ability to carry out an effective waste minimization program to reduce hazardous waste generation and associated costs.

• Marketing Strategies: The current wide-spread public support for pollution prevention is likely to continue. Companies which directly serve the public should take advantage of this fact in their marketing strategies. Promote your company’s environmental compliance and waste reduction efforts, and educate your customers about any waste management charges on their bill. The local community (your customer base) will appreciate your concern about their environment and may subsequently support your business. Take advantage of good press and any "pollution prevention" awards programs available in your area. In a tough economic climate, using and promoting sound environmental practices can give you a competitive edge over businesses providing similar services or products.

• Financial Accounting: It is essential to fully identify the costs associated with the hazardous materials and wastes you use or produce. Attribute these expenses to the specific operations creating them (rather than counting as "overhead"). Then the true cost and profit of specific operations will be accurately reflected. Hazardous materials and waste management expenses may include training, transportation, storage and handling, safety equipment, insurance, compliance paperwork and fees, management overhead, treatment, disposal, and long-term liability, etc. (Worksheet 1 provides more detail outlining waste management costs.)

• Recordkeeping: Yes, recordkeeping is time-consuming. But accurate records allow you to make reliable cost/profit calculations (as described above), and thus informed waste management and reduction decisions. Additionally, these records can assist you in documenting your efforts for compliance purposes. Maintain records on the
  1. type and quantity of hazardous materials purchased and used,
  2. type, quantity, and source of hazardous wastes being generated, and
  3. associated hazardous materials/waste management costs.

• Personnel Policies: Consider proper hazardous materials/waste management and minimization job responsibilities subject to review. Cite related accomplishments or poor performance in employee evaluations. Both managers responsible for allocating resources and line workers should understand waste management requirements and liabilities. Provide ample opportunity for ongoing training, and introduce all new employees to the company’s hazardous waste minimization policies. With adequate training, workers will handle hazardous materials and wastes properly, reducing material losses, accidents, and exposures while supporting waste reduction efforts. The ability of employees to carry out your waste management and reduction program is key to its success.

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  Studies show training alone:
  • can improve the application efficiency of paint spray operators by 40%
  • can reduce dragout in metal plating operations by 40%

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• Operations Procedures: Good "housekeeping" and operating practices should be the initial focus of a waste minimization program. These practices include measures such as careful purchasing, preventive maintenance, and use of efficient cleanup methods. Often inexpensive and easy to implement, such practices minimize material losses and prevent unnecessary hazardous waste generation while maintaining productivity. Incorporate good housekeeping and operating measures as routine procedures prior to considering more complex or expensive waste reduction alternatives. The assessment process outlined below can help identify opportunities to implement practices which aren't already part of your normal operating procedures.

SideNotes
Awards Programs
Good Press=Good Business