Zero Waste to Landfill

Eliminating the Waste Sent to Landfills Every Day

Amid sustainability discussions, the topic of a circular economy and even a “zero waste economy” occur frequently. Yet business waste is still transported into this country’s more than two thousand active landfills daily. Have you ever stopped to ponder ways to reduce what we throw away – personally or in your business? Is there a way that we can change our habits to minimize the trash sent to landfills? Industry leaders in environmental sustainability know that there are many options to reduce, reuse, and recycle the things we simply throw in the trash and to send Zero Waste to Landfills.

Benefits of Zero Waste to Landfill

You may ask yourself, “How would it benefit my business to eliminate or reduce waste sent to landfills?” By reducing waste and increasing recycling, the benefits to the environment and your company’s financial statements will probably outweigh the costs. First off, it could save your business money. Reduced waste and increased recycling can mean reduced disposal costs and increased revenues. A second benefit is meeting customer expectations for responsible manufacturing and improved life cycle assessments. Another benefit is that the process of reviewing your waste creation may identify ways to improve your manufacturing process. These efficiencies could be conserving human or supply resources, and conserving energy. Your business will be seen by investors, customers and competitors as industry leaders in environmental responsibility.

Steps to Become Zero Landfill

1. Select a waste management team. These individuals will look over your current situation, determine your goals and develop an implementation plan. The right team should be committed to the goal of sending zero facility waste to a landfill. This can be an internal team or include help from an outside organization.
2. Assess the current waste management and disposal methods of your company. By conducting a waste audit, you will receive an in-depth analysis of the company’s waste generation/management and disposal covering a certain period of time.
3. Develop waste reduction and elimination strategies. After setting your goals, implement a plan to achieve short and longer term steps. Strategies can include looking at landfill alternatives like converting waste to energy (e.g. converting waste to fuels via certain incinerators or other outlets) or reusing resources through a recycling center or specialty outlets. To reduce your carbon footprint, you may need to look at your packaging and even consider the redesign of process flow and equipment.
4. Engage employees. To reach zero waste to landfill, you need the help and cooperation of your employees. Raising awareness and providing training to your employees ensures that everyone is on the same page.

How Heritage Can Help

Every business generates waste and much of that waste can be considered by-products that still have value. By reducing, reusing, or recycling those byproducts, your company can save money or even create a new revenue stream. Heritage works with companies to attain their sustainable goals by building customized programs to reduce waste generation, improve recycling rates, and achieve Zero Waste to Landfill. Having a diverse industrial and commercial expertise, Heritage has the ability to adapt to changing environmental standards and definitions. Heritage embraces broad goals so when one goal is achieved, they can begin the process of reaching the next. We have a world class research and development team that has shown significant success in finding ways to turn waste into new products. Heritage takes pride in being a preferred partner in the process and helping 175 sites to achieve zero landfill status. Are you ready to take that next step to bettering your business and the environment? Contact Heritage today to get started.