Conducting a waste audit can uncover a lot about a company, including its environmental impact, where waste actually goes and how much it’s paying for these operational costs. In return, a business that goes through this process could take steps to keep costs in check, get insights into employee behavior and improve diversion goals. However, it can be a large undertaking, so it’s important to use the right approach. Learn more about what a waste audit is, the benefits of a waste audit and the insights you can unlock from conducting one.
What Is a Waste Audit?
A waste audit is the process of collecting, examining and analyzing a business’s waste streams. A designated team is assembled to collect and store waste and recycling over the course of about a week. After this time, the team determines the types of waste and associated volumes a business generates. Using collected findings, a business can determine next steps, such as reducing volumes or implementing processes for more efficient waste removal and reduction. For larger businesses with multiple locations, this can be a vast undertaking requiring cooperation from a number of different teams and departments.
The Benefits of a Waste Audit
With so much that can be uncovered following this process, why are waste audits performed in the first place? Some of the primary benefits include the following:
Helps Keep Costs In Check
Conducting a waste audit can uncover areas in which you can make changes to your existing waste management program. Right-sizing your program and equipment means everything fits the needs of your company as best as possible. You’re not paying for space you don’t need or paying for unnecessary pickups. Finding new areas where your business can divert waste from landfills and finding buyers for the material can also offset some of the costs in many cases.
The continued impact of inflation is also affecting the waste industry. Taking a proactive approach to your waste program can help keep some of those costs in check.
Enhances the Effectiveness of Your Program
Audits can expose whether materials are being placed in the wrong containers, if there are opportunities to develop new recycling streams or if materials can be removed from the waste stream completely. Based on your findings, you may see the need to develop a plan to capture more recyclables and reduce any excess waste. For example, if an audit reveals large amounts of disposable coffee cups are being thrown away, you may want to provide reusable coffee mugs to employees or recyclable cups to customers.
Shows How Well Your Waste Management Program Works
Once your business completes a waste audit, you’ll have a better understanding of how your waste management program is working overall. While the team will look for waste generation patterns and practices, it can be an arduous process to undertake without the help of professionals in waste management. That’s why it’s a good decision to work with a knowledgeable waste expert who uses monitoring technology to uncover data-driven insights and next steps.
Encourages Employees to Be Involved In Improving Waste and Recycling
Having data from a waste audit in hand is a great way to communicate waste and recycling goals to employees. Reporting on waste reduction efforts to employees can help them understand what the company is working toward, how it’s progressing and how critical they are to meeting waste and recycling goals. With the right insights and plan in place, waste management can be a positive and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
Steps for Conducting a Waste Audit
The process of conducting a waste audit can be time-consuming, but the insights you can gain from it are extremely valuable. It’s the first step to unlocking cost savings, discovering system inefficiencies and finding out if the current program fits the needs of your business. Refer to the steps below to take the DIY approach to commercial trash audits, or consider partnering with a waste management expert to do it for you and help you uncover deep data-driven insights using sophisticated monitoring technology.
1. Form a Cross-Functional Team
To start the waste audit process, it’s important to form a cross-functional team. This should include employees from a variety of departments, including finance, sales, operations, procurement, etc. This team will set objectives, conduct the waste audit, compile data, and work to find solutions to the waste management challenges of your business.
2. Set Objectives
Setting objectives as a cross-functional team can help all team members align on why the waste audit is necessary in the first place. They also serve as advocates of waste management best practices for the rest of the business.
Your cross-functional team will take a closer look at collection points throughout the processes and operations that comprise your business. The waste audit will allow this team to determine if waste is being properly collected at these points or if changes are needed to improve functionality.
3. Choose Your Audit Window
Choose at least a 1-week window where business operations are “status quo.” Avoid scheduling the audit during special events to ensure you can get an accurate understanding of what typical volumes look like for your business.
4. Gather Tools and Equipment
Your cross-functional team will need to gather some tools and equipment prior to conducting your waste audit. That includes space to store materials, safety equipment to protect your cross-functional team, and a system in which your team can separate and track materials.
5. BEGIN COLLECTING AND CATEGORIZING WASTE
The waste auditing team will go through bins to identify, analyze and record what is being thrown away, and then divide it into recyclable or non-recyclable categories. A team will also likely weigh the total waste produced by your organization.
This information reveals the source of waste generation and hints toward actionable steps for improving efforts moving forward.
6. Communicate the Results of the Audit to Your Organization
Once a waste audit team has results, the next and most important step is to identify which aspects of the business’s waste operations can be improved. Are there any items from the audit that are reusable or donatable? What steps can you take to reduce the volume of waste from the largest categories? Are certain locations generating more waste that could be diverted with the right recycling program? These are all questions you can discuss with your team to help your business recycle more, reduce landfill waste and save money.
What's Next After the Waste Audit Process?
Conducting your own waste audit on a semi-annual or annual basis will give your business important insights into the overall effectiveness of your current waste management operations. Too often, businesses will discover that they’re overpaying for their waste services and missing out on other opportunities. By conducting a waste audit, your business can assess the current state of your waste operations and identify opportunities to recycle more and reduce landfill waste and operational costs. It’s also an ideal time to assess whether leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as AI-powered smart camera sensors and data analytics can be a key to achieving waste diversion goals.
How Can You Make Conducting a Waste Audit Easier?
Since doing an audit can be an involved process, you should consider working with an expert waste audit partner to clearly walk your business through what can be an otherwise-daunting waste audit process. Working with RoadRunner means you have the combination of an expert team paired with powerful technology that takes the waste audit results, analyzes the information, and finds solutions to your waste management needs that make the most sense for your business.
