Reduce your business waste
Waste generated by the commercial sector makes up a large proportion of total waste disposed of to landfill within the district. Adopting cleaner production principles will enable your business to be resource efficient and minimise wastes.
Council’s kerbside recycling collection is available to commercial properties operating in Pukekohe, Waiuku, Tuakau and Clarks Beach townships. However this is only suitable for household quantities of recyclables using the 55L blue bins. A dedicated collection should be arranged with a commercial recycling contractor if you have larger volumes of recycling. See the yellow pages or the Auckland Regional Council Recycling directory for a choice of local recyclers.
Adopt cleaner production
Introducing an environmental management or cleaner production programme has the following benefits:
• increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, reducing material costs,
• minimal waste discharge, reducing waste treatment and disposal costs ,
• reduced or eliminated need for end-of-pipe treatments (landfill and waste water treatment plants),
• improved production costs,
• improved environmental performance, and
• improved company image.
Conduct a waste audit
An audit is the best way to measure how much waste your company generates; what it’s composed of; and how much could be reduced, reused or diverted by recycling. You can do a visual audit or a ‘sort and weigh’ audit. The general steps involved in conducting a waste audit include:
• Identifying all on-site waste disposal points.
• Identifying who collects the waste and when.
• Deciding how you are going to assess the waste stream.
• Choosing a typical waste generation period (i.e. a day or a week).
• Identifying the quantity of each type of waste and its source.
(Tip: do not inform staff that a waste audit is to be conducted as this can alter their standard waste disposal practices)
For more information on these steps and to view or download a waste audit manual click the link below:
ZeroWaste Waste Audit Manual (pdf, 309kb)
Eco Smart Business
The Eco Smart Business programme is an Auckland Council-supported programme to assist companies to minimise waste and maximise the business and environmental benefits.
More information is available on the Auckland Council website.
Links to specific business waste minimisation resources
The RENEW Waste Exchange is free online service enabling business to exchange materials they no longer want. It is designed to help business and industry to find markets for industrial by-products, surplus materials and waste. Members can source cheap or free materials; reduce disposal and purchase costs; and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
RENEW Waste Exchange
The Resource Efficiency in the Building and Related Industries (REBRI) resources helps business producing construction and demolition wastes to reduce their impact on the environment and become more efficient.
REBRI
The Sustainable Business Network (SBN) is a forum for businesses that are interested in sustainable development practice, events and networking. They supply and online tool and annual national awards for corporate sustainability achievements.
SBN
New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development - provides business leadership as a catalyst for change toward sustainable development.
NZBCSD
The ARC online searchable directory of recyclers can be used to find companies who recycle materials in the Auckland region.
Auckland Regional Council’s Recycler database
Cleaner production tools - used together the following documents should assist business' in identifying where low-cost improvements can be made.
Auckland Regional Council Cleaner Production Toolkit (pdf, 396kb)
The Environmental Accommodation Providers of Auckland programme run by the Auckland Regional Council assisted accommodation providers to improve their property's environmental performance and reduce operating costs. This section includes case studies and useful information.
Environmental Accommodation Providers of Auckland