Waste is one of the most overlooked areas in any business. Waste, by definition, means everything we throw away. So, it’s pretty much clear why not most businesses think about the waste they generate. But this waste costs you as much as it costs the environment.
So, if you think of waste as a problem, you can analyze how much money you can save and even protect the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. A third-party audit is a right solution to this problem.
What Is a Waste Management Audit?
A waste audit is a review of a business waste stream. In simple words, it is basically going through all the waste and sorting it, then identifying waste for diverting or recycling, and finally analyzing the data. This way, a waste audit helps you identify what you are throwing away and its cost to your business. It’ll help you understand the quantity and type of waste your business generates daily.
If you have the data with you, you can reduce your waste and improve your recycling efforts. This will eventually benefit you as your cost of waste disposal will also decrease. There are numerous benefits of performing a third-party waste management audit for your business. Here, they are:
Why Do You Need a Waste Management Audit for Your Hotel Business?
Avoid Fines
Many states have e-waste recycling laws. So, if you don’t comply with these laws and perform a waste audit as mandated, you’ll end up paying huge fines. A hotel in New York was fined $750 for every strawberry top present in their trash instead of an organic bin. By performing regular audits, you can take necessary action before they come into the eyes of the administration.
Improve Operations
When you conduct a waste audit, you segregate the products, which helps you know the quantity of recyclable waste. So, if this recyclable waste is ending up in the trash, you can work upon your recycling program and make it better.
For example, if you see many packaging products in your trash, you could reduce the packaging or look for methods you could reuse. If your hotel is generating a lot of organic waste, you can start an organic waste program. This way, you would be able to cut down costs and generate some extra revenues.
Find Missing Revenue Streams
A waste management audit helps you uncover missing revenue streams by analyzing recorded data about your waste. If waste like plastic wrap or unused products is not going through recycling, you are missing on a sizable potential income.
A global consumer brand recognized potential savings of about 33 percent on their annual hauling cost. Recycling will also help you contribute to reducing global warming and conserve resources.
Helps Get Accurate Data
This is one of the primary reasons for doing waste audits. It helps you get real data and figures about the waste your hotel business is generating. You can’t take any decisive measures about waste management until you have any actual data related to your waste. This also helps you save when negotiating with the haulers. When you know the accurate figures, it’s easier to tally the hauling costs.
Hence, a waste audit determines how successfully your business is implementing the recycling and waste management policies. You will be able to analyze their effectiveness and uncover any breakdowns to take appropriate steps further.
You can follow up the waste management audit to see if your measures brought any changes in the waste amount. The audit data will also help your business know the areas where most of the waste is created. You can educate your staff aware of the recycling opportunities and embrace less waste generation habits.
