Our top tips for working out which storage solutions are right for your business…
Bins may not be the sexiest of subjects, but, when they’re affecting your business’ bottom line and environmental impact, they’re worth giving some attention to. Overfilled, they can be seriously costly – and we’re not just talking about the extra charges you may incur from your waste provider or local council. If outside and left to spill onto the floor, a bin’s contents can end up in all sorts of places, like parks, rivers and the ocean. And this can have a detrimental effect on the environment and the animals living there. Even underfilled, a bin can end up costing you, as you’re paying out more money than you need to. So, getting your storage solutions right is important. But, how do you know what is “right” for your business? Below, we explain the four areas you need to focus on to get your answer and how, in doing so, you can add value to your business…
Type?
To start with, you need to identify what type of materials your business is putting in the bin in the first place. For example, if you’re a retailer, you might have a lot of cardboard or packaging, if you’re a restaurant, you might have mainly glass or food waste or, if you’re an office, you might have more paper or WEEE. Different materials are best stored in certain ways, so working out what type you’re putting in the bin will help determine what storage solutions are best for your business.
Amount?
Once you know what you’re putting in the bin, you need to work out quantities. You can do this by auditing (we offer a free consultation at Printwaste for this very purpose). This will give you a chance to look at how much you’re outputting, and is also a good time to assess whether you can reduce these amounts at all. The quantities will affect the size bin you need, and how many, so the fewer materials you produce, the less bins you’ll require – and you should see your costs decrease too.
Space?
With type and quantity sorted, you next need to look at how much space you have on your premises. Outdoor bins need to be stored somewhere that is accessible from the main road but close enough to your site for you to fill them. Indoor bins need to be located somewhere easily accessible for employees and near to where the material has been generated. All bins must also be placed somewhere safe that doesn’t obstruct anyone’s access or get in the way of day-to-day operations. So take a look at what space you’ve got that fills these criteria (your service provider should help you here – at Printwaste, we do this at consultation stage). You will need to opt for bins that fit this space.
Frequency?
Now you know the type of materials you’re putting in the bin, how much and what space you’ve got, you can work out the best collection frequency to suit you. Certain types of material have to be collected more often than others (e.g. general waste needs to be collected regularly to avoid unpleasant smells and infestations), so type affects frequency. For materials that can be collected less often, such as dry recycling, frequency will depend on how much you’re producing and the amount of space you have available to store this. Again, your service provider can help with this.
So, as you can see, when choosing the right bins for your business, it comes down to a combination of the above four factors – type, amount, space and frequency. Each one of these factors feeds into the others and, only by looking at them together will you get the best storage solution to suit you. But you are not alone in this decision. As mentioned earlier, as part of our service at Printwaste, we provide a free consultation, so we can fully understand your business’ needs before advising you on what bins will work for you. And, to account for things changing over time, we are deliberately flexible, meaning if you start producing more or less of certain materials, we can easily alter the bin types, sizes and collection frequency for you. To find out more, give us a call on 01242 588600 or email us at info@printwaste.co.uk.
