With growing environmental awareness and greater understanding of the long-term impacts of pollution on our planet, sustainability practices are becoming a key focus in today’s corporate asset management strategies. And while many companies have ambitious Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, they’re no match for the sheer volume of waste produced each day in the U.S.

According to Verisk Maplesoft’s Waste Generation Index (WGI), the U.S. is the world’s top producer of waste, and one of the worst of any industrialized nation when it comes to managing its trash. The WGI captures per capita rates of municipal solid waste, plastic, food, and hazardous waste production, of which American citizens and companies are the largest contributors, generating 239 million tons while only accounting for 4% of the global population.

However, the growing waste problem is not America’s alone. It’s a global issue — an estimated 2.1 billion tons of waste issue that we generate each year!

But that’s enough trash talking humanity and its insatiable thirst for over consumption … let’s talk solutions and how ISS helps organizations reduce their carbon footprints while working towards achieving critical ESG goals.

Waste audits are the foundation on which smart waste management strategies are developed. Without understanding what’s in your garbage, there is no effective way to properly manage its disposal. 

Boosting Operational Effectiveness

Conducting a waste audit exposes what’s working and not working with your current waste management program and uncovers wasteful practices and breakdowns within the current process. This knowledge then enables you to adjust accordingly, boosting your operational efficiency while reducing costs through new programs, equipment, and increased recycling.

For instance, ISS conducted a waste audit on behalf of a financial services client to better understand contamination rates across general waste, dry mixed recycling, and non-confidential paper waste streams.

The audit revealed that general waste overall accounted for 33%; dry mixed recycling accounted for 32.6% overall, of which the pantries and common areas accounted for 50%, and food service areas and private rooms accounted for less than 10%; and finally, non-confidential paper accounted for 25% overall, of which pantries accounted for 80% and print rooms 7%.

By implementing corrective steps and new strategies, the financial services client was able to:

• Reduce general waste contamination by 5% to 10% within the first three months.
• Reduce dry mixed recycling in the pantry and common areas by 5% to 10% within the first three months.
• Effectively increase paper recycling rates to nearly 100% and decrease contamination rates to 0% as both non-confidential and confidential paper are now shredded and recycled.

Unlocking New Saving Opportunities

Lockstep with maximizing your operational efficiency comes new operational savings and revenue streams. Through better understanding of your company’s unique waste profile, there is the potential to uncover overcharges, errors, or invalid fees within your waste invoices as well as new opportunities for reducing and/or re-directing what goes into your trash, leading to significant savings on waste hauling fees.

Meeting Regulatory and Compliance Standards

Each business sector has regulatory requirements when it comes to disposing of its waste. By conducting a waste audit, you gain critical insights supported by data to enable your decision making and compare your current waste management operations against regulatory and compliance standards to avoid potential fines.