Do Companies Have a Responsibility to Reduce Waste?

The global business climate sure has changed over the last fifty years. Today, both small businesses and corporations alike are facing mounting pressure to be more cognizant of things like social justice and environmental protection. So much so that an entire industry has cropped up to help companies identify and manage their perceived corporate responsibilities. Is one of those responsibilities to reduce waste?

If you believe in the idea of corporate responsibility, waste has to be part of the discussion. Waste is an unavoidable byproduct of human existence. However, excessive waste is not. Every year, companies around the world dispose of tons of waste unnecessarily. Through better recycling, repurposing, and reusing, a lot of what we throw into landfills could be put to use in other ways.

Waste Is a Growing Problem

The world already produces billions of metric tons of waste each year. Just in terms of municipal solid waste alone, the annual amount generated is expected to grow to 3.4 billion metric tons over the next twenty-five years. That says nothing of commercial waste, like the plastics we buy and recycle.

All the waste we produce has to go somewhere. Most of it goes to landfills or incinerators. Some of it ultimately ends up in waterways, open fields, etc.

As a small business owner, you may feel like there isn’t a whole lot you can do to make a dent in the global waste stream. That may be true. But the little part you can do is added to what others are doing. Every business doing the little bit they can adds up to a lot.

Easily Recyclable Plastics

Part of the responsibility question lies in whether recycling is cost-effective. If it is not, a company has to weigh the benefits of waste reduction against the potential harm to the business by way of higher costs. Fortunately, cost is not an issue with the easily recyclable plastics we purchase.

Seraphim Plastics purchases scrap cutoffs from plastics manufacturers. We buy plastic pallets, collapsible bins, buckets, dunnage trays, and even baled bottles. The one thing they all have in common is that they are clean plastics that do not require a lot of effort or expense to recycle. We can buy from customers and still make a profit by turning recovered plastics into regrind that we sell to our buyers.

The fact that recycling industrial plastic scrap is so easy further suggests that companies have a responsibility to do so. It takes very little effort to contact a company like ours and arrange for pickup of plastic waste. Other than temporarily storing it until we arrive, there is nothing else for your company to do.

Reduce Waste and Improve the Bottom Line

Even without corporate responsibility out of the mix, turning your plastic waste over to us for recycling reduces the amount of waste your company disposes of and simultaneously improves the bottom line. You can turn your scrap plastic into a revenue stream. At the same time, you might save money on trash removal services by reducing the total amount of waste your hauler has to take away.

Corporate responsibility is a growing part of successful business in the modern era. The general public expects the companies they do business with to be more cognizant about a range of social and environmental issues. Waste generation and recycling are part of it all.

If you are looking for an easy and potentially profitable way to begin embracing corporate responsibility, recycling your scrap plastic is a good place to start. Contact us for more information about our services.