Waste Audit
Why
Waste is generated by everyone, whether we like it or not. It’s what happens to that waste that really matters. Foresight believes that every area of your utility spend can be more efficient, including your waste management. Finding new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle your products is vital in becoming a more sustainable organization and can lead to savings.
Whether your facility is looking to reduce your waste streams to cut costs or is on the path to zero-waste, our sustainability engineers can help your team create and implement concise and reasonable plans towards reducing your environmental impact.
How
Foresight’s services around waste reduction and optimization focus on finding tactics that best suit your company’s needs. To start assessing your facilities’ current waste management strategies, we begin by analyzing your bills for how much waste is created and how often your facility needs their waste hauled offsite. Even in this step, there is potential for savings – you may be overpaying for your current waste management services.
Once we have a better understanding of your current spending and waste production, our experts will tour your facility to assess your waste streams in action. This process includes interviewing employees, examining your landfill and recycling containers, and investigating all other waste streams. Learning where your waste is created and what it is composed of is key to identifying how your facility can become more efficient and sustainable.
Waste management strategies can vary drastically from company to company, depending on the wants, needs, and restrictions you might have for your facilities and materials. Our team will work with you to develop the best possible diversion tactics for your business and help you develop clear and actionable goals surrounding your waste and recycling streams. Steps can range from employee education to greenhouse gas emissions reporting to product redesign. We customize the solutions to best suit your business.
Benefits
• A better understanding of your waste streams
• Improved recycling costs/revenues
• Reduced landfill costs and volume
• Reduced environmental footprint
Impact
• Direct financial savings
• Uncover potential revenue streams
• Positive publicity for recycling initiatives
• Involve employees in sustainability efforts
Case Study
Client Profile
A multi-site manufacturer in the aerospace industry.
Before Foresight
This manufacturer had a wide variety of waste bins, recycling bins, pickup times, and waste management programs across their facilities portfolio. These programs were not cohesive, effective, or efficient.
After Foresight
Upon conducting an on-site evaluation of the entire waste inventory, Foresight experts collected bills, synthesized data, communicated with service providers, and analyzed all behavioral and organizational trends that affected waste management.
By combining data analysis with behavioral insights, the team identified strategic changes that resulted in immediate financial return. By determining the exact weight and timing of waste pickup, we could reschedule the pickup times to coincide with when bins were full, saving $15,000 annually. Other recommendations included presorting certain materials, discovering new recycling streams, and connecting to local programs that would disassemble products instead of throwing them in a landfill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have that much control over the cost of waste at my facility?
More than you might think! Often waste is an afterthought, but there are organizational and behavioral changes you can make to reduce fees and unnecessary pickups from your service providers.
Are there materials that I think are waste, but others might find valuable?
Absolutely! You may be throwing things away at your facility that others would pay for. Having professionals audit your waste composition could uncover hidden revenue streams.
How much does a Waste Characterization Study cost?
A study’s price depends on your facility’s size, the number of facilities, and the variety of waste composition.
What happens when you come on site?
Our experts will do a full audit of your waste by touring your facility and auditing your waste process. They can even do a “dumpster dive” to assess each item in your trash to determine if there is a better way to dispose of it. From there, strategic action steps will be built and returned in a report.
How do I get my employees on board with recycling?
There are definite behavior changes involved in more strategic waste management. Our team will help your HR department evaluate the best ways to communicate and execute these changes so that your employees are included in the process.
