AUCKLAND COMMERCIAL WASTE SERVICE

6 TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR COMMERCIAL WASTE

From manufacturing industries and property management to corporate offices and universities, every Auckland business generates rubbish, even if the amount is small. Making sound decisions around what happens to commercial waste in Auckland will deliver your business distinct sustainability advantages. Great waste management strategies can reduce commercial waste output, save money, and conserve resources. And there are indirect positive benefits, staff motivation and marketing communication opportunities. It’s a win-win strategy for our Auckland commercial waste customers.

Green Gorilla don’t believe a waste reduction strategy should be difficult or unpleasant to implement, so here are our six easy-to-follow tips.

1/. GET MOTIVATED PEOPLE ONBOARD

Firstly, get a team together. Ideally, you will want a diverse group across all your company or organisation levels. The team will set the short- and long-term rubbish goals. Be patient; they may need time to grasp their project and roles. Here’s a little secret we want to share. Give your team a license to have fun while working on your waste strategies. Why? Because rubbish isn’t sexy, and you’ll need a team who will persevere with their sustainability tasks.

2/. RECORD YOUR RUBBISH

It would help decide what waste, how and when your refuse is recorded. It’s just like getting a fitness training programme. Measurements help set targets and track your progress as you reduce commercial waste.

Here are some suggestions:

• Your office printer should have paper usage reports in the printer menu.
• How many rubbish bags get used each week? And can you break down that by department?
• How many waste collections does your supplier do each week?
• Understanding your commercial waste streams makes it easier to improve processes to reduce waste.

3/. UNDERSTAND THE COSTS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

It’s not rocket science that the more waste you generate, the greater the cost for rubbish and recycling removal. Waste management costs consider the number and size of your waste containers plus the number of collections. If you reduce any element in this equation, you are the winner.

Here’s how we can assist. Green Gorilla is unique in the Auckland waste management environment. We own a commercial and industrial waste processing facility that separates recyclable material from general waste. That means your business may not need different bins for recycling and rubbish. Think about it. Fewer waste bins could translate to lower costs.

4/. REDUCE YOUR COMMERCIAL WASTE STREAMS

Your team is recording your rubbish, and now it’s time to look at where you will achieve some early wins. It sounds simple, doesn’t it! Take heart, our internal staff sustainability team understands Auckland rubbish and recycling better than most. They have faced the same challenges.

Here are some of their suggestions

• Invest in software that makes paper printing redundant 
• Put a stop to the disposal of coffee cups and invest in company-branded reusable cups. It really works. Green Gorilla give a reusable drink cup to each new employee, and it’s a rare occasion when we sight a disposable coffee cup in our waste.
• Get a compostable waste collection for your business. It’s not only food waste that’s collected and processed into compost. Paper towels, tea bags, napkins and certified compostable packaging are also accepted.

5/. REUSE

What do you have that could be reused? The items don’t have to be reused by your business.

Ideas to get your team thinking.

• Kids love to draw and scribble, so how about donating paper printed on one side to your local pre-school?
• Contact Lions, Rotary or a charitable organisation and determine what they will take.
• Some pet stores love shredded paper for their animal bedding
• Google is your friend; you can almost guarantee you’ll find a relevant reuse suggestion

6/. RECYCLE

Recycling is an exciting environment. If you poke your nose into online resources, you read a lot about new solutions, markets, and services. It’s a little bit different in Auckland, though. The recycling industry in Auckland has limiting factors, including scale, profitability, and markets for end products. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Green Gorilla collects waste, and we also recycle waste products for markets. We have partnerships with metal, plastic, and fibre recyclers.

Recycling diverts enormous volumes of waste from Auckland landfills, and who ends up paying for landfill operations? The Auckland ratepayer. Recycling also creates more jobs than operating a landfill. That’s good for the economy and the environment.

It's time to talk to Green Gorilla and get your commercial waste the best possible outcome.