How And Why Conduct Waste Audit

By Anna Morris


The world is rewarding people and organizations that are sensitive about the environment. This is raising awareness about efficiency and maximum utilization of raw materials. There are cost implications whenever garbage is generated. This is why waste audit should be conducted on regular basis.

Why should you go around auditing materials that are no longer useful to an organization? The main reason is to establish the position of the organization in terms of volume and composition of garbage. This gives you an idea of what you order or bring into an organization and what is discarded. You can tell the level of utilization of different substances ordered in such an organization.

Having established what is useful and what turns into garbage, you will adjust your budgets and utilization to reduce wastage. This leads to financial saving for your organization. This is an opportunity to evaluate your systems and establish the level of efficiency. In this way, you will tighten the systems in order to improve utilization of materials and substances ordered.

Auditing also encourages workers and all stakeholders in an organization to be conscious about utilization and wastage of resources. The results obtained are shared with everyone involved in the operations of the organization. With statistics glaring on their faces, they will use resources prudently. For the organization, it is an opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint. It also boosts your image or standing in the community you are operating.

Auditing follows very simple steps. You are required to compose a group that brings together representatives from each department or sector. It is crucial to involve health and safety personnel as well as those in charge of finances. When everyone is involved, the exercise is supported across board. The custodian groups should be instructed to collect garbage disposed over three days. It should be labeled with the stream, source and collection dates indicated.

The auditors should be provided with protective and safety gear like gloves, safety shoes, eye protectors and overalls. Where hazardous materials are involved the safety precautions must be enhanced. You will need a checklist to fill your findings as well as a camera to document the kind of waste collected. The garbage to be audited is that collected on a normal day as opposed to days when there are special occasions.

Separate the garbage in categories like biodegradable or otherwise. Weigh each category and enter your results in your checklist. The report should capture the source of garbage and its stream. You should also evaluate what is causing decomposition or contamination. Such details help you to craft a strategy that makes your processes more efficient.

It is time to calculate the diversion rate. You divide the weight of materials being recycled by the sum of garbage recycled and overall garbage weight. You then multiply the resulting figure by 100 to get a percentage. When communicating your results to the organization, let everyone know the major sources of garbage. Use the opportunity to ask for suggestions on how each can play a part in reducing wastage or improving efficiency.




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