For A Small Business Owner, Metal Recycling Can Pay Dividends
Posted on 03 March 2017Today, being an environmentally conscious business is important to practically everyone in the supply chain. Clearly, it’s a way of contributing to a better environment, but it’s also very good for business. In short, going “green” with metal recycling is a win/win situation. When done right, the payoff makes all the effort well worthwhile. For some businesses, this can be more than just collecting odds and ends of scrap metal for pickup at the end of the week.
Top management must be on board
Building a productive metal recycling program must have top management support. Depending on the type of business, a well-organized program will effectively reduce company waste, while earning revenue for the waste material. Needless to say, management support will ensure better participation from end to end.
A waste assessment will be needed
Prior to setting up any metal recycling program, it’s critical to audit ongoing waste production in order to assess overall viability. A thorough waste audit is also important to evaluate the cost-benefit aspects of setting up a program. In particular, it’s key to know the volume of metal waste and the total cost of disposal.
The moving parts of the program
An effective metal recycling program is one that works, based on the company size, the volume of waste, and the ease of implementation. Collection methods have to be considered; onsite storage options have to be decided; and importantly, what to do about transporting the waste materials (self-hauling or pick up service).
Employees have to be committed
Every business has different employee strength. But for any internal program to succeed, it’s important for employees to be committed. The volume of waste will also differ for each business, but planning is key. What metal waste will be recycled? How will collections be organized? And how will transport be managed?
Partnering with a recycling agent
From a business perspective, it’s definitely an advantage to partner with an established recycling company to coordinate waste bins and pickup. This is a streamlined approach to a well-managed program. A reliable metal recycling company can offer a complete service, along with pricing and payments, and all the paperwork.
The benefit of partnering with a reputable recycling partner is purely organizational. Indeed, the better companies can even provide the original waste audit, and help set up the most productive program to suit the needs. And from a pricing perspective, there may be important information available about market demands.
Keeping track of the progress
Once an internal recycling program has been set up, it’s important to monitor the ongoing results. On one hand, there may be room for improvement – on the other hand, there may be need for big changes. The bottom line for any business is to determine the cost-benefit. And although the environment aspect is at the forefront, no business can keep a failing program going. Here again, working with an established metal recycling company can help with ups and downs, especially in the start up stage of a program.