Manufacturers Waste Management Is a Moral and Economic Imperative.
Learn How Small and Growing Manufacturing Companies Move Towards This Environmental and Economical Model.
Did you know that Americans produce 4.5 pounds of waste per person each day? With over 330 million people living in the United States, that number is staggering! You may be questioning this since you likely do not throw away nearly 5 pounds of garbage on any given day. That is because nearly all of America’s waste (97%) is produced through industrial processes (1). The United States produces around 236 million tons of municipal solid waste every year, and while the numbers for industrial waste are not totally clear, some estimates go as high as 7.6 billion tons produced annually (2). This has significant economic impacts as well. On average, for each ton of garbage, it costs $30 to recycle, $50 to send it to landfill, and $75 to incinerate it (1). With manufacturers generating millions of waste annually, imagine how quickly these costs add up! Furthermore, waste has a two-fold cost to businesses, once when you purchase and process the waste materials, and when you dispose of them. This shocking level of waste can be significantly reduced. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75% of the US waste stream is recyclable, but only 30% is recycled (2).
Manufacturers Waste Management
With the new legislation, pressure from consumers to create sustainable manufacturing processes, and overall corporate responsibility, reducing waste is an issue that small and midsize manufacturers must address. However, according to Gartner, 35% of companies still lack formal corporate supply chain sustainability goals, while another 49% of respondents said their companies did have such goals (3). The future of sustainability is looking brighter as supply chain professionals are beginning to see the financial benefits. For Manufacturers Waste Management most of them plan to invest in waste reduction, ethical sourcing, water-efficiency improvements, and carbon emission reduction over the next 18 months, with waste reduction and water-efficiency improvements seen to have the greatest fiscal benefits (3).
Strategies for Industrial Waste Management
- Optimize Your Inventory Management
- Repurpose & Recycle Waste Products
- Improve Your Quality Control
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