Companies in the United States are generating and disposing of approximately 7.6 billion tons of non-hazardous industrial solid waste every single year. As a manufacturer, formulating strategies that aim at preventing excessive waste generation can provide economic advantages. Here are some ways to reduce production waste in your organization.
- Green Chemistry
Green chemistry focuses on the design and use of chemical products and processes that help in minimizing the amount of hazardous substances generated. Green chemistry prevents hazardous materials from entering the environment from the very beginning instead of trying to remove once they’re present. It also provides opportunities to save on energy costs by minimizing waste product production.
- Minimizing Packaging Waste
There are two approaches here. The first is redesigning packaging materials so less is needed. Additionally, recyclable or degradable content like air packs or corn-based peanuts can help reduce packaging waste. Second, an industrial shredder can assist with recycling waste paper for use as a packaging material.
- Use Water Smartly.
A large portion of manufacturing waste is wastewater and industrial sludge. Reduce this by trying some of the following methods.
- Use chemical drying agents instead of water.
- Reverse Osmosis processes that purify water with a semipermeable membrane.
- Using a membrane biological reactor that recycles water by separating liquids and solids.
In addition to the above-mentioned tips, you can also try to procure raw materials that have recycled content, buy raw materials in bulk whenever possible to help minimize packaging waste, and maintain accurate inventory levels of raw materials by using appropriate container labels. This helps in avoiding material waste by ensuring that minimal amounts of raw materials are purchased, and you use the perishable materials before their expiration date.
Erich Lawson is very passionate about the environment and is an advocate of effective recycling. You can learn more about environment saving techniques by visiting his blog.
