Why bother?

There are fundamental business reasons, as well as environmental ones, for minimising waste:

A systematic waste minimisation programme could save 1% of turnover.
Every pound saved on material costs goes straight to the bottom line.
Average payback periods for such initiatives are measured in months, not years.
Savings of around 1,000 per employee are typically made through resource efficiency programmes.
Many waste minimisation measures cost nothing, but yield big results.
Customers increasingly favour environmentally-friendly companies.
More and more businesses demand resource efficiency from their suppliers and partners.
Legislation, both in the UK and from Europe, is forcing us all to address the issue of waste. Non compliance means fines. Even prosecution.
Waste costs more than you may realise. When you consider the materials, the costs of treatment, energy and wasted labour, you’ll find the real price tag on waste is often 5–20 times the cost of disposal.

For many companies, sooner or later, waste minimisation will not be a matter of choice — it’ll be a survival issue.

Having got this far, we’re guessing you buy into the idea. Now it’s time to get everyone else on board.