Today, with the rising awareness of our impact on the planet, more people than ever before are taking an interest in their trash.
Whether it’s separating recyclables into the right boxes, cutting down on single-use plastics, or cleaning up a local beach, waste management and recycling are hot topics.
That’s why for startups and small businesses, effective waste management is fast becoming the cornerstone of sustainable operation.
Waste management is something that is not only part of a commitment to social responsibility, but that also offers a broad range of benefits that go far beyond the environment.
So, if you’re looking for some green business tips we’ve got you covered.
For startups everywhere, here are 10 reasons you should start talking trash.
1. Protect The Environment
Naturally, the end game of better waste management is to protect the environment and build more sustainable economies.
Startups and small businesses committed to this type of approach are in good company as consumers become increasingly concerned with environmental issues.
Doing everything you can to reduce your environmental impact will not only give you a clean conscience but will also ensure that your customers can buy from you without fear of making the problem worse than it already is.
2. Reduce Costs
Among the most compelling reasons for startups to reduce waste is the potential cost reductions it can offer.
Put simply, less waste generated means less waste hauled away, something which can reduce expenses over longer periods of time.
Whether cutting down on waste during the manufacturing process or simply ditching single-use plastics in the office, the less waste you generate, the less you will have to spend on removing it.
3. Earn Money For Nothing
Today, there’s a huge range of startups that focus on products made from waste.
Whether it’s sneakers made from ocean plastic or beer brewed from stale bread, reusing discarded materials gives startups a chance to make cash from trash.
Using a waste product as the foundation of your new product means less outlay on raw materials, and in most cases, waste is abundant enough to be collected for free.
4. Champion Innovative Products
Processing waste products to make new products also has another advantage; it gives your startup the opportunity to champion innovation.
Recycled plastic, wood, and textiles are just some of the materials that can be used in new and exciting ways. There’s almost no limit on the types of waste that can be processed into new products.
5. Work In Healthier Spaces
Healthy offices and factories are crucial to keeping staff working to their full potential. Billions of dollars are lost each year to sickness, and often, the places in which people work are part of the problem.
Implementing efficient waste management practices can help remove harmful waste, reduce the potential for disease-carrying pests, and generally improve the atmosphere and air quality of any space.
It also helps workers who aren’t sick to concentrate better and generally be more productive while working.
6. Boost Employee Morale
Your employees are the foundation of your success, so ensuring they are fully on board with your vision is important across all aspects of your business.
Engaging staff with your recycling initiatives and waste management operations can have a number of surprising benefits.
Staff will take more pride in their workspace, will feel as though they are contributing to the solution rather than the problem, and by implementing outreach schemes to reduce, reuse, and recycle, will be able to engage with the local community too.
7. Bring A Garden To Life
If you’re lucky enough to have a little green space to call your own, then you can easily set up a compost pile and deal with all of your recycling initiatives.
By keeping this waste onsite, you save haulage fees and also the time and energy required to separate organic materials for proper recycling.
Particularly for restaurants or food-based startups, your vibrant garden can also serve as a natural source of food or other materials that will help you to build a truly sustainable business.
A garden is much more than just something nice to look at, it can also be a recycling hub and a resource generator at the same time!
8. Ensure Compliance
As governments catch on to both the environmental and financial costs of waste management, they are introducing increasingly stringent regulations designed to make businesses more accountable.
This means that to operate within any given municipality, your startup may need to be your recycling initiatives.
Managing waste effectively is often at the top of the list, and ensuring you are recycling and disposing of any waste in the correct way will ensure you avoid fines and possible loss of license.
It will also prepare you better for the next wave of regulations.
9. Boost Brand Image
As consumers are now more engaged than ever before with sustainability issues, boosting your brand image through recycling and sustainable waste management is another significant benefit.
Increasingly, consumers are looking to how you source your materials, whether a product is recyclable or not, and what happens to the waste you create.
Providing transparent reports on these, and other elements, will boost your brand image and help build trust with your customer base.
It can also help push your business above the crowd with consumers that are only too happy to choose a sustainable brand over a conventional brand.
10. Give Something Back
Faceless corporations are so last century. Today, startups and small businesses are all about giving something back to the local communities they operate in.
Perhaps a little surprisingly, this can also be your trash. Donating old equipment, furniture, and even your recycling initiatives is the ideal way to reduce waste and boost your brand—both locally and nationally.
Local outreach programs are another great idea, bringing people together to deal with waste generated by your company, surrounding companies, and the community at large.
Over To You
Today, raising awareness of the trash generated by businesses is crucial to addressing society’s wider waste management issues.
Startups have a real opportunity to pave the way towards a more sustainable economy, and by building more robust waste management systems, businesses can both benefit themselves and the environment.
We hope these green business tips will help you get started!
Editor’s Note: This article is part of the blog series Run Your Business brought to you by the marketing team at UniTel Voice, the virtual phone system priced and designed for startups and small business owners.
