October 23, 2024
Cross-contamination is costing your business
It has been estimated that the volume of waste across the African continent will triple from 174 million tonnes a year from 2016 to approximately 516 million tonnes by 2050*.
Investing in better recycling could see businesses cut waste disposal costs in the long-term, increase recycling efficiency, reduce the environmental impacts of waste going to landfill and improve your sustainability credentials: when recycling is done right, your business benefits. But to get recycling right, you need to cut out cross-contamination when separating the waste inside your facility.
What is cross-contamination of waste?
In businesses where multiple streams of waste are generated and there isn’t a cohesive, clear recycling system in place, it’s likely that some cross-contamination of waste will occur. There are a few different ways to categorise cross-contamination.
- Non-recyclable materials end up in recycling streams
- Recyclables are placed in the wrong streams
- Dirty or soiled materials are disposed of in recyclable streams
Cross-contamination results in materials that could have been recycled going directly into landfill, or a costly and time-consuming process of separating contaminants, which is bad for the planet and bad for business. To give you an idea of the scale of the problem, the average recycling contamination rate is 25% - that’s 1 in every 4 items*!
Reduce the issue of cross-contamination by helping people clearly identify what waste belongs where with our recycling posters.
What could poor recycling be costing?
In South Africa 90% of the general waste produced ends up in landfills while only 10% is recycled*, it’s therefore little surprise that the country’s landfills are at breaking point. Not only will investing in better recycling initiatives ease this issue of overcrowding, but recycling is a viable business sector and one that generates just over R15.3 billion a year*. With more focus on the circular economy South Africa’s domestic economy could benefit*.
For businesses, landfill disposal still incurs a cost in South Africa, a ‘gate fee’ which is charged per tonne. Although this cost is relatively low compared with other global economies, waste generators still regard landfilling as a costly overhead, one that in the Western Cape and Cape Town areas in South Africa, is rising, pushing up the price of landfilling*.
And what about the cost to the planet? As already stated, currently, most of Africa's waste (90%) is disposed of at uncontrolled dump sites and landfills, often followed by open burning* with only 4% getting recycled*. It has been reported that these dump sites emit around 20% of the world’s methane and 11% of black carbon, both greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming*. Not only are these sites harmful to the planet but the particulate matter emitted by these sites has been proven to cause serious illness amongst local people living nearby*.
By reducing the amount of recyclable waste that goes to landfill or incineration businesses can take more responsibility for their environmental impact and improve their sustainability credentials.
What does better recycling look like?
Now you understand the importance of better recycling, where do you start? We believe that better recycling is simple and requires straightforward solutions.
Value visibility
Reduce the risk of cross-contamination and recycle more by providing customers and employees with consistent colour-coding and signage, helping them to instantly identify what type of waste can be recycled and where. This consistency across different containers will help embed a culture of recycling compliance. You can tailor the labels, change the language, and even include your own branding.
Move towards modular solutions
Investing in modular solutions, like the Slim Jim® Recycling Stations, rather than single units housing multiple bins, allows the flexibility to adapt if your needs change without having to spend your budget on new systems. They’re also typically easier to maintain and clean compared to ‘all-in-one’ systems.
A bin for every area
Different areas have different needs and so you’ll need different bins. From tight spaces in kitchens to capturing high volumes in busy back of house zones, tailoring your recycling solutions to each area means you can effectively separate your recyclable waste without interfering with day-to-day operations.
Sources:
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Green Cape, Waste Marketing Intelligence Report, 2022
