Wholesale Retail and Distribution Operations

This heading covers a vast array of products and services, but there are some generic ideas that might be applied across the whole sector to benefit from better waste management.

Most operations are likely to have some office-based activity and the tips listed above can be useful even if this is not your primary area of business.

Warehousing and distribution are also likely to form a part of retail activity and packaging waste is probably the major source of waste material for this sector. Clearly goods for sale need to be packaged attractively and in such a way as to ensure the consumer receives the product in peak condition be it a tin of baked beans or a designer handbag. However, some time spent assessing the packaging used can save money and improve your company's environmental performance. Waste savings can be made by selecting more durable materials for external containers for transit so they can be reused or by using materials that can be easily recycled or made from recycled materials. Ensuring packaging waste is adequately separated into different types will make recycling easier and more cost effective.