Tag Archives: Waste Reduction

Waste Management Perspectives for Military

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Waste management has a profound impact on all sections of the society, and military is no exception. With increasing militarization, more wars and frequent armed conflicts, protection of the environment has assumed greater significance for military in armed conflicts as well as peacetime operations. Tremendous amount of waste is generated by military bases and deployed forces in the form of food waste, papers, plastics, metals, tires, batteries, chemicals, e-waste, packaging etc.

waste-management-army

War on Waste

Sustainable management of waste is a good opportunity for armed forces to promote environmental stewardship, foster sustainable development and generate goodwill among the local population and beyond. Infact, top military bases in the Western world, like Fort Hood and Fort Meade, have an effective strategy to counter the huge amount of solid waste, hazardous waste and other wastes generated at these facilities.

Waste management at military bases demands an integrated framework based on the conventional waste management hierarchy of 4Rs – reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery (of energy). Waste reduction (or waste minimization) is the top-most solution to reduce waste generation at military bases which demands close cooperation among different departments, including procurement, technical services, housing, food service, personnel. Typical waste reduction strategies for armed forces includes

  • making training manuals and personnel information available electronically
  • reducing all forms of packaging waste
  • purchasing products, such as food items, in bulk
  • purchasing repairable, long-lasting and reusable items

Due to large fraction of recyclables in the waste stream, recycling is an attractive proposition for the armed forces. However, environmental awareness, waste collection infrastructure, and modern equipment are essential for the success of any waste management strategy in a military installation.

recycling-in-offices

Food waste and yard waste (or green waste) can be subjected to anaerobic digestion or composting to increase landfill diversion rates and obtain energy-rich biogas (for cooking/heating) and nutrient-rich fertilizer (for landscaping and gardening). For deployed forces, small-scale waste-to-energy systems, based on thermal technologies, can be an effective solution for disposal of combustible wastes, and for harnessing energy potential of wastes. In case of electronic wastes, it can be sent to a Certified Electronics Recycling and Disposal firm.

Key Aspect

Management options for military installations is dependent on size of the population, location, local regulations, budgetary constraints and many other factors. It is imperative on base commanders to evaluate all possible options and develop a cost-effective and efficient waste management plan. The key factors in the success of waste management plan in military bases are development of new technologies/practices, infrastructure building, participation of all departments, basic environmental education for personnel and development of a quality recycling program.

Military installations are unique due to more than one factor including strict discipline, high degree of motivation, good financial resources and skilled personnel. Usually military installations are one of the largest employers in and around the region where they are based and have a very good influence of the surrounding community, which is bound to have a positive impact on overall waste management strategies in the concerned region.

10 Small Ways to Make a Big Difference in Waste Reduction

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At this point, pretty much everyone is aware that plastic drinking straws are bad for the environment, namely the animals that inhabit our oceans, rivers, and lakes. But that’s just one small aspect of the global waste problem we’re currently facing.

Becoming aware of the impact of straws began a major change in the way we drink beverages. Similarly, understanding how other wasteful behaviors negatively affect our world should help us all reduce our waste and become better consumers.

While it will take major changes amongst the masses to turn our trajectory around, it all begins when individuals start adjusting their personal habits.

Start making an impact on our Earth by reducing your waste generation in these 10 small ways:

1. Reduce Consumption

The first step to reduce waste? Reduce consumption. Start by logging where you are spending your money. Notice which areas cost the most and begin reducing in that area. Once you improve there, find the next budget category to tackle. By simply buying less, we can make a big difference.

2. Avoid Plastic Wrap

Instead of relying on plastic wrap to preserve food or make it portable, consider other eco-friendly alternatives, like Super Bee beeswax wraps. These can be washed and reused over and over again. They work for anything including sandwiches, partially used produce, and a bowl of leftovers.

3. Shop with Reusable Bags

You should strive to always bring your own shopping bags rather than getting a single-use one from the store. This will cut down on the clutter in your house and save a few bags in the process. If you forgot your bags, opt for paper instead of plastic and find a way to re-use it afterward.

4. Support Local

Locally made products require much less packaging, shipping, and manufacturing overhead. Buying these kinds of products supports lower-waste businesses and contributes positively to the environment. Farmers markets are great for purchasing delicious produce without any packaging.

5. Whatever You Do, Don’t Litter

Of course, you should never litter. Throwing trash on the ground with the assumption that someone else will pick it up is incredibly flawed. You should always pick up after yourself. In addition, you can make a difference by simply picking up after those who haven’t.

6. Reuse Food Containers

If your takeout is transported in non-environmentally friendly packaging, find a way to reuse it. Even if you only find one more use for it, you will have just doubled its life span and done a small part in reducing waste.

7. Start Your Own Garden

One way to really reduce the amount of wasteful packaging you consume is to start growing your own food. This will be a fun hobby, provide nutritious food, and cut your produce-related waste down to zero.

8. Stretch Your Groceries

Challenge yourself to stretch your groceries an extra day or two. This practice can help save you a nice bit of money each year and will ensure you’re using what you already have rather than consuming more.

9. Repurpose Furniture

Instead of buying a new couch, consider just reupholstering the fabric. Finding ways to repurpose old furniture cuts down on heavy item shipping costs and reduces the large amounts of waste that commonly come along with these types of products.

10. Recycle

If you’re not already, get on the recycling bandwagon. By separating your recyclable waste from your general trash, you can give many of your consumer products a second life!

Conclusion

Even if you are unable to accomplish all of the things on this list, working towards a few sustainable development goals can make an impact. By becoming more mindful of how we consume and waste products, we can slowly improve Earth’s environmental state.

6 Strategies To Improve Aerospace Waste Management

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The aerospace industry has numerous waste streams that can produce enough waste to disrupt the world. This is mainly from the manufacture of aircraft, engines, and parts. However, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) confirms that the industry is doing its best to prioritize waste management.

In fact, the association feels that the industry is making good strides toward ensuring that the natural environment is protected. But there’s always room for improvement as waste management and environmental protection are continuous processes. For many players in the aerospace industry, waste reduction and management are the most significant hurdles to overcome.

This article looks at six strategies aerospace companies can employ to help improve waste management.

Strategies To Improve Aerospace Waste Management

1. Waste Prevention

The best way to manage waste is to prevent its production in the first place. That’s why waste production prevention is usually a top goal in any industry looking to manage waste effectively. If the aerospace industry can eliminate the production of some of its waste materials, it’ll be able to make significant progress in waste management.

There are numerous and technologies that the industry can utilize throughout the product cycles to help steer clear of waste. For example, aerospace precision machining companies like Moseys Productions use certain techniques that are meant to reduce manufacturing waste. This creates a chain reaction where there’s waste prevention in the rest of the stages in the product cycle.

2. Waste Reduction

The first strategy mentioned would be the best and only one needed for aerospace waste management in an ideal world. However, zero waste production isn’t always possible for various reasons, such as the steps followed in the manufacturing process. But there are other things the industry can do to ensure that there’s minimal waste production.

In waste reduction, the industry will need to look at all of the processes that lead to waste production. This may include changing the design of the products or the way they’re manufactured to ensure that the least amount of waste is generated. The industry can take the same steps to ensure that the waste produced isn’t as toxic or harmful to the environment.

For the aerospace industry to get the most out of waste reduction, it needs to identify areas with high waste production. The necessary changes have to be carried out in a way that won’t compromise the quality of the final products. Pinpointing such areas is the key to the success of this strategy. Precision machining can also be applied in this waste minimization strategy.

sustainability practices in aerospace industry

3. Sustainable Material Use

Apart from making efforts to eliminate or reduce waste, the industry would do well to use sustainable materials. These are materials that the industry can have produced in precise volumes. This would help make sure that there’s no disruption of the established environmental balance or depletion of nonrenewable resources.

The beneficial result is ensuring that waste is cut right at the production of raw materials so there isn’t much to waste in the manufacturing process. The focus here is on what materials the industry purchases and their quantities. Waste management is possible when it starts from the very beginning of the product cycle—at the sourcing of raw materials.

4. Recycling And Reuse

Even in the aerospace industry, materials such as wood, paper, glass, and plastics can be used to fabricate fresh products. When more materials are recycled and reused, the need for new ones is significantly reduced. In addition, it allows for the recovery and use of materials that would’ve otherwise gone to waste.

Having a waste material recycling strategy is essential in aerospace waste management. Not only would it help conserve energy and reduce emissions in raw material extraction, but it’s also an excellent way of keeping waste to a minimum.

5. Technology And Waste Processing

Successful waste management in the aerospace industry lies in effectively making waste easy to handle. Fortunately, technological advancement has continued to make waste processing simpler and more efficient. By reducing waste materials at the front-end processing system, there are added benefits such as:

  • Reducing the number of times a company needs to dispose of waste from manufacturing plants
  • Producing better recyclable waste

Properly handling aerospace waste processing goes a long way in improving waste management in the long run. The latest technologies include those used in the briquetter systems, ultrafiltration systems, and coolant recycling systems.

6. Joint Waste Management

It’s good for the industry to open up and embrace partnership initiatives with other entities both public and private. This would result in the accumulation of ideas that can help make waste management more accessible.

Taking a collective approach can benefit the industry as it’ll bring in players who may help with many functions of waste management. For example, having a partner who recycles metal, plastic, or wood waste would make it possible to dispose of such directly and sustainably. It may also help in overcoming some barriers the industry may be facing with waste disposal and management.

Conclusion

Waste management is crucial in the aerospace industry given that it’s a huge waste producer. Having clear strategies for the prevention, reduction, and disposal of waste would go a long way in making sure that aerospace companies achieve their environmental goals.

How to Deal with Large and Complex Waste in Your Business

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Are you a business owner? Irrespective of the kind of business you’re in, waste management is something that should definitely concern you. Given the amount of waste businesses generate daily, it can become overwhelming to deal with, particularly when it comes to large and complex waste.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to waste management, there are many different ways to go about it: recycling, following waste management protocols, waste prevention, and hiring professional services.

If you’re looking for more ideas on how to deal with large and complex waste in your business, our post has got you covered, so read on!

Deal with Complex Waste in Your Business

The Different Ways of Dealing with Business Waste

Whether you’re in the food, health, pharmaceutical, or any other industry, you’ll find a waste management solution that will click for you.

1. Recycle Your Waste

Spend some time to analyse the waste that your business is generating and identify how much of it can be recycled. This step is an absolute no-brainer, as it has countless benefits for your company. For starters, recycling waste means that you won’t have to spend so much on procuring new resources.

If you have complex waste that you cannot recycle yourself, you can send it to dedicated recycling plants. In fact, sending your business waste to a recycling plant is often a more economical option than disposing of it directly.

With growing awareness about climate change, many businesses are conscious of building a ‘green image’. By recycling your complex business waste, you’re doing your bit for the environment while simultaneously improving the image of your business.

waste management for businesses

2. Reduce Waste Production

We’ve all heard that prevention is better than cure. Look at it this way: If your business generates less waste, dealing with waste becomes a lot easier. So, how can you go about this?

Considering that most businesses are embracing technology, you can start by cutting down on your paper usage. Additionally, if your business makes use of battery-operated equipment, you can swap regular batteries for rechargeable ones. You can also come up with waste reduction plans and strategies.

It’s a good idea to monitor your business waste for a certain period and spot areas that provide a scope for waste reduction. You can also get your employees involved in this process.

3.  Follow Protocols

Depending on the industry you’re in, you may have a set of waste management protocols you are required to follow. For instance, if you’re dealing with pharmaceuticals, there’s a lot of medical waste that needs to be taken care of daily.

expired-medicines-management

Pharmaceutical industry can change its practices to manage pharmaceuticals in a more ecofriendly manner.

You need to follow proper incineration, chemical disinfection, dry thermal treatment, microwave irradiation, land disposal, and inertisation processes. Similarly, every industry has a set of protocols to follow.

While the process is bound to be time-consuming, it will help get your large and complex waste sorted once and for all. Improper waste management can create problems for your business in the long run, so it would be best to avoid such a situation.

4. Help Others to Help You

It may be that some of the waste your business generates, like leftover food, materials, and other products, can be donated to vulnerable communities. You can also consider linking up with charities or NGOs to make this a regular practice. Not only are your business waste management worries taken care of, but you’ll also be making a contribution to society.

5. Tackle the Big Packaging Problem

Packaging can make up a huge proportion of your waste. Every business makes use of packaging in some way or the other. What can you do differently to reduce the packaging you handle?

First, you can adopt a minimalist approach. Don’t use packaging unless a product really needs it. Second, being resourceful can help. For example, it doesn’t make sense to use an entire cardboard crate to pack a product that’s only half the size.

packaging waste

Packaging that adorns your product can have serious environmental impact.

Considering that many packaging materials like bubble wraps are plastic, it’s important not to over-use them. By minimising the materials that go into packaging, you’re directly reducing your business’ packaging-related waste.

6. Get Professional Help

There are many professional companies such as phs Wastekit that offer personalized waste-management solutions to businesses that need them. These expert services can perform a systematic waste audit to help you understand how your business can reduce producing waste.

They typically use top-notch equipment for waste disposal, saving you a lot of money in the process. What’s more, they even put you in touch with recycling services to whom you can entrust all your large and complex recyclable waste.

Summing Up

Dealing with the large and complex waste in your business can be tricky. However, when done the right way, it can make a huge difference to your brand image, boost your revenue and give you time to focus on the things that truly matter.

To top it off, you’ll be eco-friendly all the way through! We hope that our post has inspired you to give your business’ waste management policies another look.