Casey Diercks
Regardless of the industry you are in, food and beverage, automotive, industrial, or consumer packaged goods, your manufacturing process is creating unwanted byproduct. This waste has to go somewhere, often being sent to a landfill, material recovery facility (MRF), or processing center. A centralized MRF can provide a singular location for your waste to be received, separated, and prepared for potential reuse. A processing center can create a byproduct solution specifically designed for your manufacturing process and byproducts. Each of these waste management options offer an opportunity for you or your organization to take steps to meet your sustainability goals. In 2026, your waste management plan, whether you develop it internally or work with a total waste management partner, should be customized to your organizational and operational needs. It is essential that you keep cost savings, sustainability, and brand protection top of mind.
All too often, waste management and material recovery are treated as a one-size-fits-all solution. Byproducts and waste can get tossed and sent to an MRF with little thought for how those materials are being divided up, reused, or worse, misused.The metals, plastics, cardboard, organic materials, and other byproducts that your manufacturing process produces could be making a difference for your organization. Taking a hard look at your current waste management plans can reveal how it is affecting your company’s bottom line, how it is helping (or hurting) sustainability goals, and how it is impacting the impression customers have of your products.
Cost Savings
At first glance, a simplified or all-in-one waste solution can seem like a win-win. If your waste is being hauled off to a large-scale MRF, you pay for one service and call it a day. But could customizing that waste management process improve yourbottom line in the long run? By assessing your process on your own or by working with a total waste management partner, you can identify small pieces throughout the process that could really add up.
Consider the impact of sorting out recyclable or reusable materials. One example is pallet recovery. Instead of tossing out pallets to be thrown away or burned, a better material recovery approach could ensure pallets get sorted out of waste for recycling or reuse. Instead of routinely tossing out pallets and buying new ones, you could be reusing them until they arespent. Those small cost savings can make a substantial impact over time. Reassessing a waste system takes time and the right team, which can increase costs up front, but with a personalized approach to material recovery, you will see the ROI faster than you may think. Whether sorting out at the facility or at a custom processing center, segregating specific materials for specific recycling can reduce the number of loads to be burned or sent to a landfill.
Sustainability
Most brands have corporate sustainability goals. Setting and achieving these goals is important for the planet and long-termsustainability within individual industries. Even as you close in on goals, there is the opportunity to improve. If your facility has attained a zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWTL) distinction, you could still find ways to be more sustainable in your material recovery. For example, if the majority of your waste material is being burned for energy recovery, a thorough waste management assessment could identify that you could reduce the number of loads being sent by pulling cardboard or plastic to be recycled or repurposed. You can maintain that ZWTL status while making an even more sustainable impact. Good for your brand, good for your industry, and good for the earth.
Brand Protection
Consider a scenario that results in a substandard product. For whatever reason, the goods coming down the line do not meet the brand standard; maybe the formula or final packaging is off. That substandard product needs to be broken down anddestroyed. If your material recovery plan does not specifically track and monitor what happens to bad product, there is a chance it could be picked up elsewhere. For example, if you produce a body wash and the final product that comes off the line is not up to your company’s standard, you will want to make sure it never reaches the shelf or a consumer. Without a proper material recovery or total waste management plan, you risk a substandard product reaching consumers and damaging brand reputation. Consumer trust in a brand is earned over time and can be lost quickly. Preserving your brand reputation is essential to long-term success.
The Takeaway
Total waste management is all about regularly identifying ways to improve the process and create operational efficiencies. If your waste management process is not creating cost savings, meeting (or exceeding) your sustainability goals, or instead, is putting your brand at risk, it is time to reassess. By customizing your material recovery needs to your production or facility operations, you can find ways to address all three considerations. A total waste management partner can help identify improvements and provide key data points that make it easier to share your success within your organization. There are ways to make your waste work for you, and it is never too late in the process to make changes in real time.