Is your business waste efficient?

ACCORDING to global statistics, our world has a sobering waste problem. We are set to hit 34 billion tonnes of waste by the year 2050. Eight billion tonnes of it have been produced in the last 15 years say UN statistics This is a problem which should be of concern to every citizen of our country.

It is certainly a priority for certified environmental educator and waste consultant Sian Cuffy-Young who has worked in environmental management systems and environmental education for 13 years. Cuffy-Young said she is committed to addressing the issue and helping businesses become more waste efficient. The more productive a company, the more waste it can produce. Plastics are a good example.

Cuffy-Young said: “According to Valerie Craig at the Waste Management Sustainability Forum this year, it is undeniable that plastic has changed the world for the better. But it has also created a pollution problem at an unimaginable scale. It is a visible problem that we know is harmful and global but also solvable.”

Highlighting the situation in TT, Cuffy-Young noted “85 per cent of the waste reaching TT’s landfills is recyclable, but only one per cent actually gets recycled. The future is rife with opportunity for us as businesses to truly make an impact and manage our waste in a responsible manner.”

Cuffy-Young advocates for waste efficiency for businesses to minimise the quantity of waste leaving the site and choosing the right disposal destinations that have the least environmental impact. “Waste efficiency also means that all sources of waste are known, controlled and reduced,” she said. “In other words, the less you throw away, the better it is for the environment and your business.”

The value for the business owner is profound. Cuffy-Young stresses the benefits which include:

Saving money: “For instance, you can now reduce the number of disposals you have to pay for in any given month,” she said.

Improving your public image: “You can enhance your corporate social responsibility. “Now you are seen as a company that cares about how its operations affect the community and environment.”

Reducing your overall

environmental footprint

Cuffy-Young noted that entrepreneurs at all levels can reap the benefits of waste efficiency with some key approaches.

Re-examining your processes

“You should ask yourself new questions,” she said. “For example, can we switch out our glues for environmentally-friendly ones? Can we reduce the number of layers in our packaging so that it can be recycled with ease or switch it to an eco-friendly version? Product design and waste management can have a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Reducing materials that become waste.

From furniture to computers, all materials on your site can become waste at some point.

“The key here is to minimise materials to only what is needed so that when they need to be disposed of, the amount will be significantly reduced. In other words, making your purchasing/ordering process more efficient so you get what you need without the large excess,” she advised. One example might be the integration of old plastic bottles into the manufacture process of new ones. Reuse also applies here as well.

Improving processes that produce waste

Whether you are dealing with draft reports, labels or even packaging, material can become waste quickly. It is important to break the inefficient take-make-waste cycle in the production process.

“That involves taking raw materials and making new products,” Cuffy-Young said. “In the end, the product will become waste. We need to move to a circular economy cycle where ‘make’ and ‘waste’ is broken up to add ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’. ”

Reviewing the exit routes of waste

There are a wide range of final destinations for the waste from your company’s operations which can have a lesser environmental impact than sending it to the landfill. Cuffy-Young uses composting organic/food waste or disposing of paper as examples.

“Can you set up a simple heap at your location for the process of composting where the finished material can either be sold or distributed to members of the community such as farmers? Is all your waste paper being sent to a processing facility to eventually be recycled?”

Getting expert advice

Cuffy-Young advises that investing in an analyst/auditor can help efficiently apply the different approaches. Her own company provides this service to entrepreneurs. “A qualified and competent analyst will examine your processes and determine the types and quantities of waste produced,” she said. “An expert can also figure out how it can be segregated by type and which would be the right disposal options.”

For real, impactful and sustainable change to be made, Cuffy-Young declares that a whole change in mindset is essential. “In principle, we must change the way we think and act towards waste completely. Because of the myriad of impacts that it has on our natural environment, we must look at moving from a linear economy to a circular one where one’s waste becomes the input for someone else’s process.”

Sian Cuffy-Young is a Colorado certified environmental educator, speaker and the principal consultant of Siel Environmental Services Limited and has a wealth of experience in environmental management systems and environmental education and waste management.

She works with NGO’s and organisations to become waste efficient and has created an online teaching platform for individuals and companies for various waste related issues. As part of her outreach, she also works with schools to implement and develop sustainable school programmes in TT and by extension the Caribbean.

For more info: sian.young@sielenvironmental.com, 38-9937 or Facebook.