Making improvements to recycling services in the Food or Drink Manufacturing sector

As you start to recycle more, the amount of general waste you produce should also reduce. This means you should be able to reduce your number of general waste bins or have them emptied less often. This could save you money!

If your business has seasonal fluctuations, you may need to make changes to your service to suit your needs at these times. Talk to your provider as soon as you can to find out whether they can make the changes you need.

You can use the feedback you’ve received from both your waste service provider and employees to help hone your internal communications on recycling. For example, explaining to staff how to avoid recycling contamination might mean improving signage, offering refresher training or explaining the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ in an email to all staff.

Always keep communication positive, sharing successes and achievements via employee newsletters, at team meetings or via posters. Remember to let your senior management, external partners and customers know, too – this will motivate your employees to continue recycling and encourage them to look for further opportunities for improvement!

What next?

Your waste audits may identify other types of waste your business produces that you don’t currently recycle. Can you spot any opportunities to switch to less wasteful products, or refillable ones, so that you can stop the waste being created in the first place? You could also look into options to recycle a wider range of materials that you’re currently throwing away.