WASTE INSIGHTS BLOG
Waste measurement, reduction and management are critical parts of an organization's carbon responsibility and as such organizations should engage the services of specialist software providers.
Enterprise Waste Reduction
Reducing Waste Lowers Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
Management teams are striving to find the best way to minimize greenhouse gas emissions as part of their various operational processes. In order for them to be most efficient, they need to be able to include waste measurement as one of their measurement metrics.
Where solid waste is concerned there are a number of different options available for management, including reduction, recycling, decomposition or incineration. Each option has its own recriminations when it comes to greenhouse gas emission and each should be considered in full by a management operation.
Enterprise Waste Reduction
It is estimated that the United States recycles approximately one third of what it consumes and whilst this is equivalent to removing almost 40 million cars from the road in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, considerable effort should be made to increase this proportion.
The US EPA has conducted a study of more than 20 types of common waste materials used in our society and has tried to analyze the various options available at the end of each life cycle. Some of the materials analyzed include aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, food, office paper, newspaper, plastics, tires, number, glass and personal computers.
In addition, mixed waste categories were included, being organics, paper, plastics, metals, municipal solid waste and recyclables. Waste measurement factors have been composed as each material is analyzed and the options compared.
Waste Measurement & Management Leads to Reduction Strategies
To accurately gauge options, management teams should use calculation methods to analyze the impact of prevention, recycling, composting, incineration or landfilling as it applies to their particular footprint. Once accurate waste measurement figures are obtained, action can be suggested according to environmental and operational constraints.
In general, recycling represents one of the best methods of containing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, recycling was found by the EPA to achieve a net reduction of 50 metric tons of carbon equivalent as compared to landfilling or combustion. This is the same effect as removing 39.6 million cars from the road.
Recycling is the Best Choice for Enterprise Waste
In net effect terms, it is estimated that recycling is more beneficial than initial reduction for certain materials, including aluminum and newspaper for example, as recycling eliminates 100 percent of the inputs whereas source reduction only displaces some of the virgin inputs.
Waste measurement, waste reduction and effective management are critical parts of an organization's carbon responsibility and as such organizations should engage the services of specialist software providers and analysts to assist them to interpret their options.
About Verisae
Verisae helps measure, manage and reduce equipment and energy costs including the related business and environmental impacts of carbon emissions. The Sustainability Resource Planning (“SRP”) software platform improves operational efficiency, protects brand integrity and helps ensure regulatory compliance for distributed enterprises across many industries. Verisae delivers a broad range of sustainability solutions to dozens of clients globally with thousands of daily users including an extended network of third-party suppliers. Verisae’s integrated sustainability platform actively tracks millions of assets across thousands of sites worldwide.
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