What is waste management?

When it comes to "zero waste" Sierra Nevada Chico Breweries in the US is an interesting company. It has been certified as a platinum-level zero waste company—the highest possible certification level awarded by the US Zero Waste Council.

Since 2013, they have been diverting 99.8% of its solid waste from landfill to instead being used as livestock feed or composted. 'Zero waste' has also been incorporated into the company culture, and employees are gifted reusable bags, water bottles, and containers, and encouraged to eliminate the waste normally generated throughout their working day.

You can check out their different efforts on this interactive map.

As a company owner you have to make choices that impact the amount of waste you produce and have to dispose (usually at a cost). The smaller the amount of waste created in your facility, the less waste you need to manage. Refusing to buy from suppliers who use a lot of unneccessary or difficult to recycle packaging material, providing your workers with a water dispenser instead of water satchets, or using software for inhouse communication instead of printed materials are steps in a good direction.