The food processing industry generates a massive amount of waste, and commercial farms often struggle to deal with excess animal products in a sustainable way. From restaurants and suppliers that toss recyclable material to meat packing plants that generate biohazardous material, many businesses can benefit from designing an efficient waste management plan.
Optimizing your current methods means more than making a few minor changes—you need to audit your practices and rewrite your system to see a difference. Improving your waste management plan is worthwhile when you see how much smoother your business operates.
Establish Your Goals
First, you need to define your goals. What are you hoping to achieve with your new waste management plan? Agricultural businesses often see a huge improvement in their finances and environmental impact, so consider these as possible objectives.
Getting specific with your goals will help you take aligned action—when you know what you want to accomplish, you can better identify areas of improvement. Tackle these areas first to get the ball rolling.
Consult With Professionals
Believe it or not, waste management is a complex industry. All businesses must follow strict rules and regulations to avoid accumulating fines; this is especially true of the meat processing sector, which deals with biohazards every day.
Consult with a professional waste disposal service to answer all your pressing questions. They can address nuanced subjects like the difference between hazardous and toxic waste and help you make the right decisions.
Provide In-Depth Training
Designing an efficient waste management plan means nothing without proper implementation. Once you’ve identified areas that need improvement, established your goals, and spoken with experts in the field, you need to put your plan into action. Provide your employees with in-depth training so you can attain all your expectations.
Be clear about new recycling and disposal procedures, and make sure everyone knows their role in your new waste management procedures. Building a team to handle all matters regarding waste will help you streamline the process.
Track Your Progress
Now that you’ve developed and implemented your plan, it’s time to track your progress. This data will tell you whether or not your efforts are successful. Additionally, this is the point where your in-house waste management team will be the most useful.
Look at areas of improvement first, and compare spending and savings to your recycling and waste-minimizing efforts. From there, you can optimize your methods even further to become a well-oiled machine.
Your waste management plan should help you improve safety conditions, keep your facility sanitary, and save money. Make waves in the food supply industry by developing a system that prioritizes sustainability.