Waste management solutions require constant tweaks, and the end of the year is the best time to make these changes. We encourage those clients of Cleanway, and those looking for a new waste management partner, to do the same.
Whether it’s food waste, organic waste, hazardous waste, garden waste, or a recycling problem, the Cleanway team is here to help local businesses find better operational efficiency when managing waste.
Getting your waste management sorted now can avoid surprises, reduce costs, and help deliver on sustainability goals.
Why end-of-year is a critical time for waste management
Throughout the year, waste management patterns can shift with seasonal packaging surges, product returns, end-of-line material clearances, increased consumer footfall around holidays.
As operations wind down or ramp up, inefficiencies in waste handling tend to magnify and waste management is the last thing on peoples minds.
It could come in the form of poor waste and recycling practices, overfilled bins, ad hoc disposal arrangements with negative environmental impacts, or unmanaged stock of obsolete materials can all lead to unnecessary expense or lost recyclables.
Moreover, it’s an opportune time to reset: by auditing your waste practices before the new year begins, you can see where resources are being wasted (pun intended), where service levels may be falling short, and where you can get better value through strategic planning.
Step 1: Audit your current waste disposal practices
Before you attempt to make adjustments, you need a clear picture of where you stand. An audit doesn’t have to be daunting. Rather, focus on key areas where costs or risks are highest.
Review and manage waste streams and volumes
Break down your waste by stream (general waste, recyclables, organics, e-waste, hazardous waste, etc.).
For each stream, look at monthly volumes over the past 6–12 months. Which streams have grown? Which have fluctuated wildly? Are there particular months or events (e.g. seasonal peaks) that put strain on your waste system?
Correlate these volumes with cost: how much are you paying per cubic metre or per bin collection in each stream? Are there disproportionate costs in particular streams compared to volume?
Assess container usage and placement
Sometimes the simplest inefficiencies creep in: bins placed in non-ideal spots, under- or over-sized containers, or poor accessibility.
Walk your facility and note where bins are congested, skipped, or under pressure. Are there areas producing waste but not serviced with an appropriate bin? Are bins overflowing while others remain mostly empty?
Also look at bin condition, signage clarity, and staff compliance with sorting rules. Poor signage or worn bins can lead to cross-contamination and increased disposal costs.
Hire a professional waste audit team
But if this task seems too complicated, or you just don’t have the operational knowledge, then we’d highly recommend hiring our team at Cleanway to conduct a waste audit.
Step 2: Consolidate and rationalise waste services
Once the audit is complete, the goal is to streamline: reduce complexity, align services with need, and eliminate wasteful overlaps.
Cleanway’s process can helps recycling facilities and landfill disposal services adopt waste hierarchy and circular economy practices.
Adjust bin types, sizes and frequencies
Based on your volume and location audit, reconfigure bin capacities and service frequencies. You might downsize or reduce collections on bins that are underused. Conversely, you may need larger or more frequent collections in high-output zones.
Where possible, standardise bin types across sites or zones to simplify procurement, signage, servicing and staff training.
Bulk disposal of residuals or legacy materials
At year’s end, organisations often hold residual materials: obsolete stock, damaged goods, product trial leftovers, or waste that’s been accumulating.
Plan a bulk disposal or recycling push to clear these out under controlled terms, rather than letting them linger and incur storage or degradation cost.
Luckily, the Cleanway team works best when it comes to managing business waste systems. Be sure to contact us for assistance as to where we can help, or consider reading our blog ‘9 Signs You Need to Call a Waste Disposal Service’
Step 3: Optimise recycling, reuse and resource recovery
Getting waste in order isn’t just about throwing less in landfill . We think it’s about extracting value where possible.
This means lessening illegal dumping and finding better recycling solutions that align the best environment operations currently available.
Identify high-value waste streams
Some waste streams may carry more opportunity for recycling or reuse: metals, glass, paper/cardboard, plastics, organics, e-waste. Use your audit data to prioritise the top few streams where better diversion could yield tangible value, like cost savings or revenue from recyclables.
Improve waste segregation and sort accuracy
Even modest improvements in waste segregation can drive substantial gains. Use clear signage, colour coding, bin lids that limit contamination, and regular staff reminders or refresher training. Make it easy for staff to do the right thing.
Consider simple “waste champions” in each department who are responsible (or accountable) for monitoring bin contamination, checking signage, and providing local reminders or nudges.
Partner with resource recovery providers
If you don’t already, formally engage with recycling and resource recovery partners who can take your separated streams and ensure they are properly processed.
A robust recovery chain gives confidence that your recyclables don’t simply end up as landfill anyway.
The Cleanway team has knowledge in what to do when it comes to resource recovery and circular economic waste practices. If you’re interested in finding out more on this, consider reading this blog by our partners at Evoro.
Step 4: Plan for growth, change, and waste reductions in the new year
End of year is also a strategic moment. Rather than just closing out, you can launch improvements that yield benefits from day one of the next year.
Forecast future waste trends
Use your historical data plus knowledge of business plans (expansions, new product lines, seasonal shifts) to project waste growth or changes. Plan for new streams (e.g. packaging changes, new materials, product take-backs) now, rather than scrambling mid-year.
Build waste reduction targets
Set tangible goals for waste reduction or diversion (for example, percentage reduction in general waste, percentage increase in recycling). Ensure those targets are realistic, measurable, and tied to business metrics you already track.
Share those goals internally and assign owners. This helps convert the waste conversation from “cost to manage” to “opportunity to reduce”.
Include waste in capital and process planning
Whenever site changes, packaging redesigns, layout adjustments or capital projects are planned, build in waste considerations early.
A loading dock redesign, a packaging change or a production shift can dramatically alter waste flows. If waste handling is considered from the design stage, you avoid inefficiencies or workarounds later.
Likewise, plan for internal awareness campaigns, bin upgrades, signage refreshes, or even small capital spend on compaction or sorting infrastructure if justified.
Step 5: Engage staff, monitor, and adapt
Transforming waste practices is as much cultural as it is operational. Sustained success comes through ongoing engagement, feedback loops, and adaptability.
It’s here were hiring a professional team like Cleanway can make the necessary waste management changes a reality.
Communicate the “why” and the “how”
Communicate your end-of-year changes clearly: why it’s happening, what’s changing, what’s expected of staff, and how they can help. Use internal newsletters, signage, training or toolbox talks. Reinforce that waste efficiency is part of operational discipline and sustainability.
Make it visible by posting monthly updates or “scoreboards” of waste diversion performance, contamination rates, or recycling successes. This could be the task for the waste champions talked about earlier.
Monitor with key performance indicators
Define and track simple KPIs: contamination rates, bin overflow incidents, waste cost per square metre, recycling tonnage per quarter. Use monthly or quarterly reviews to detect underperformance or fresh issues.
If certain bins repeatedly overflow or streams underperform, dig into root causes and correct signage, routing or staff behaviour.
Maintain feedback loops
Set up mechanisms for staff to raise waste issues, suggest improvements or flag problems. Regularly walk the site, revisit bins, and listen to feedback from front-line workers.
At the mid-year or quarterly mark, revisit your processes. What’s working? What needs tweaking? Make iterative adjustments rather than waiting a full year.