The festive season is marked by last-minute dashing to the outlets, indulging in meals with associates, and decking the halls. Nevertheless, few cease to think about how all of the procuring and consumption actually makes the vacation into one thing of a ‘season of waste’. In truth, the UK produces 3 million tonnes extra waste throughout the month of December than at some other time of the 12 months.
Though many image festive waste as brimming family bins, companies face related pressures behind the scenes. Specifically, SMEs typically lack a devoted programs or capability that bigger enterprises depend on, so the December spike in waste can rapidly grow to be a headache.
Even so, the seasonal surge doesn’t should be overwhelming. There are sensible steps SMEs can take to deal with this problem throughout the festive interval.
The Christmas waste problem
The explanations behind the rise in waste round Christmas are easy; extra is being purchased. Every December round 114,000 tons of plastic packaging are discarded within the UK, alongside some 8 million timber and 168 million Christmas lights.
A big problem at the moment of 12 months is the proliferation of ornamental objects that are seen as disposable. Moderately than investing in decorations that are put up and brought down every year, the patron demand has shifted to maintain up with tendencies and to interchange the Christmas show year-on-year.
Round 23 million illuminated ‘Christmas figures’ are discarded yearly, though the characters they depict don’t change with the years. The surge of seasonal waste carries critical environmental penalties, particularly as a result of most of this stuff are constructed from plastic and, when thrown away in such massive portions, inevitably find yourself in landfill.
This problem is exacerbated by the alternatives made inside many small companies. By supplying low cost, disposable decorations, they assist perpetuate the single-use mindset surrounding Christmas. Enterprise homeowners trying to cut back waste, each from their very own operations and downstream with clients, ought to prioritise well-made, sturdy merchandise moderately than disposable novelties destined for short-term use.
The hospitality business must also think about planning extra successfully for the Christmas rush – there may be 19% extra meals waste in December than at some other time of the 12 months. This may very well be mitigated by higher forecasting of what is going to be offered to cease completely good meals being thrown out.
One other rising concern is the rise of e-waste and batteries. Yearly there are over 1,000 fires in bin lorries brought on by batteries being improperly disposed of. The fires happen when the batteries are compacted by the vehicles and, apart from releasing chemical compounds into the air within the smoke, they put refuse staff at critical, pointless danger.
Once more, SMEs have a particular and essential function to play right here. Selecting to inventory electrical objects which can be powered from the mains or plastic free can vastly cut back downstream waste. If battery powered objects are unavoidable, then providing secure battery disposal bins must be the usual.
Avoiding a season of waste
These points ought to function a transparent name to motion to SME stakeholders. Limiting enterprise contribution to waste might be achieved by way of numerous methods.
Enterprise homeowners ought to conduct waste audits, taking inventory not solely of what they promote, but in addition what they waste. In lots of circumstances, they may discover that there are particular forms of waste being produced in abundance and so they can then take steps to cut back this. As an illustration, whether it is discovered that there’s a great amount of discarded plastic packaging, then taking focused motion to change to renewable or packaging free choices can have a big, fast impact.
Waste audits have revealed that solely 23% of what’s thrown away is definitely ‘trash’ and the remaining may have been recycled or reused. With the best help and instruments to assist organise and assess supplies, conducting a waste audit turns into much more manageable.
SMEs must also interact with suppliers within the round economic system. The round economic system is an financial mannequin which focuses on waste minimisation by way of conserving supplies in circulation, moderately than eradicating them from the system by throwing them away. Many suppliers actively interact on this mannequin; nonetheless public perceptions are lagging. Some 46% of individuals consider that the round economic system will value them cash, when in actuality it will possibly save a enterprise upwards of £20,000 a 12 months in waste disposal prices.
Switching to renewable packaging can be a strong pathway to drive down waste. While this may increasingly not at all times be potential, nonetheless, wherever they will, companies ought to inventory merchandise which are available plastic free, or no packaging in any respect. Making this modification may decrease an SMEs waste output by 51%.
Every of those measures makes a distinction by itself, however they’re only when mixed. A multi-pronged strategy is one of the best ways to drive reductions in waste and minimise contribution to the Christmas pileup.
A waste free Christmas
SMEs have the chance to play a pivotal function in decreasing the UK’s seasonal surge in waste. By partaking numerous levers similar to waste audits, partaking suppliers within the round economic system, and switching to renewable packaging, the quantity of waste produced might be vastly decreased.
These easy actions not solely have constructive environmental outcomes but in addition cut back prices. Altogether, making these efforts make sure that SMEs are contributing to a sustainable festive season, and never a season of waste.
Suzanne Mitchison is waste service director at Everflow
