By Bill Owen, Lake County Environmental Education and Community Development Agent
Often it is said that the solution to many environmental problems is for all of us to do what we can as individuals. The cumulative total of many small actions can make a real difference. This philosophy applies to small businesses dealing with solid waste just as much as it applies to individuals putting their family's recyclables at the curb each week.
No matter what type of business you own, the first step to reducing solid waste is to determine how much of each type of waste is produced. Is it from production, packaging, office activities or a combination of these? How much of each is produced and how is it being handled now?
Once your waste flow has been analyzed, apply the three R's of waste management: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Then add a fourth R - Repurchase.
Reducing solid waste means simply not producing it in the first place. Depending on the type of business, this might mean such activities as retooling in a manufacturing process or pruning mailing lists to reduce paper generation. Sharing journals or using electronic mail to reduce office paper and toner cartridges are other examples of reduction.
Reusing an item delays its journey to a landfill and conserves resources. Examples include reusable shipping pallets or containers, turning outdated forms into scratch pads, utilizing interoffice envelopes or saving foam packing material. Repairing equipment rather than purchasing new is also a type of reuse.
Recycling cardboard, office paper and scrap metal has long been a staple procedure for large businesses, and it applies equally to small enterprises. Most recyclers will be happy to analyze your business waste products to see what can be recycled. Remember that recycling is only effective if you follow the fourth R and purchase goods made from recycled material. The quality of these materials has improved in recent years, while the cost has fallen.
While these actions may seem insignificant at first, multiply individual results by the number of small businesses in Ohio, and the total impact can be tremendous.
For more information, interested people can ask their local Ohio State University Extension office for Community Development fact sheet CDFS 184-94 Solid Waste Management for the Small Business.
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868