If you see a snake, just kill it. Don’t appoint a committee on snakes. —Henry Ross Perot
ENVIRONMENT
Measuring waste to reap rewards For two decades New Zealand has been criticised by the OECD* for a lack of reliable, comprehensive data on waste. Addressing this is an issue for central and local government; however, it does raise an important point for industry. Do you know what waste your business generates? Do you measure your waste? With sustainability rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, resource recovery specialists, 3R Group, encourage businesses to take a closer look at their waste. Management guru Peter Drucker famously said “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. How do you manage your waste effectively as a business if you’re not measuring how much you generate, what type of waste it is, how it was produced and what you do with it? While controls on what come into a business may be strictly monitored and regularly reviewed for efficiency, quality, and cost, we often fail to put the spotlight on what goes out through waste services. With the exception of hazardous waste, the low cost of landfill and low level of regulation around waste in New Zealand is likely to be a key factor in our casual attitude to it. And, let’s face it; the waste bin is the easy option for most. Our experience with manufacturers and organisations across a variety of industries shows that a closer look at your waste can lead to some surprising outcomes. In one business case, a review of a particular waste stream led to a simple process improvement with resulting savings of nearly $250,000 per annum. In another, a report we undertook on waste practices at a large organisation dealing with hazardous waste, showed staff regularly choosing the most expensive disposal option due to a lack of knowledge about how to categorise their waste. Again, cost savings will be the outcome of process improvements in this area. Reducing costs is a welcome outcome for any business; however in an age
Toni (right) and Trevor at Apollo.
where customers and consumers alike are looking for brands and organisations which care about the impact their businesses are having on the environment, the benefits can be much broader. Working with a specialist in waste and resource recovery can lead to benefits such as new markets, new customers, more efficient resource use, eliminating waste, safeguarding your social license to operate and reducing risk. Every business generates waste. Take the opportunity to have a closer look and make your waste work harder for you.
About 3R Group 3R Group works with businesses to assess their waste stream, looking at how waste can be reduced and resources better utilised. The primary aim is to help companies join the circular economy by diverting waste from landfill, improving resource efficiency, reducing costs and creating opportunities. Contact us to take a closer look at your waste. www.3R. co.nz * OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: New Zealand 1996, 2007, and 2017
Greeting at landfill.
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NZ Manufacturer April 2017
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