Sustainable Industrial Waste Management

Reviewed by David Carmichael, Solution Engineer (April 2024)

Industrial waste management should always be kind to the environment. Sustainable waste management reduces the impact of manufacturing on the natural world by recycling and recovering materials to reduce the need for raw materials and by cutting back on the amount of material used in the first place. Sustainable industrial waste management also looks to minimise the release of pollutants and toxic chemicals into the environment.

Waste management best practice has several benefits, including improved health and safety (by minimising pollution), better economic performance (by using resources efficiently and cost-effectively), and improved engagement with local communities. It also helps take care of the planet for future generations.

Let’s take a closer look.

Just what is waste management? Industrial waste management means disposing of waste, reducing waste, recycling waste, and preventing waste. Preventing waste going into landfills and using waste to create energy are two examples of a sustainable waste management strategy. Recycling waste creates new products from waste streams. Some forms of waste – electronics waste, for example – can be reconditioned or repurposed to extend their lives. It’s also important to consider reducing excessive packaging for products, and items such as single-use plastics.

Your waste management strategy is important because resources are valuable. The environment should be protected as much as possible for manufacturing to be genuinely sustainable. If waste isn’t properly managed, it can result in air, soil, or water pollution. Landfill capacity in the UK is finite, and landfills also generate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

A large proportion of non-recyclable waste ends up in landfills. This is something the government wants to reduce, and manufacturers can help by recycling as much of their waste as possible or using it to create energy or electricity. Organic waste can also be composted or used to create biogas through processes such as anaerobic digestion.

Industrial waste comes in a variety of forms depending on the industry and the type of raw materials it uses. The industrial waste may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. It may be inorganic or organic. Elements of the waste may be biodegradable, while other parts may be hazardous. Waste may arise from consumer goods production, mining activities, construction, chemicals production, or food manufacturing.

As we have seen, the circular economy is some distance in the future. Zero waste to landfill, however, is an achievable aim today. According to The Carbon Trust in the UK, in practice, zero waste to landfill is a target of 99% of waste being recycled, composted, reused, or sent for energy recovery.

Reusing and recycling are key parts of the 5Rs philosophy. It’s important that materials, resources, and products are reused before they are recycled, which is the last phase of a good waste management strategy.

It’s vital that manufacturers continue to improve their environmental performance. With manufacturing generating about a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, energy – especially renewable energy – is of course a key focus of efforts to make manufacturing more sustainable, but waste management also has an important role to play. 

Precious natural resources must be conserved. Pollution should be minimised. Manufacturers can start thinking about reducing waste before a design is even on the drawing board. And they should also look at every possible means of eliminating or reducing waste across the product’s lifecycle. Can it be used for a different purpose at the end of life? If it must be disposed of, can it be recycled responsibly rather than going into landfill?

Management of industrial waste will continue to be of prime importance in the coming years. Waste-to-energy systems are likely to become more widespread, using waste to generate heat or electricity. Automation will play an important role in sorting waste streams for recycling and recovering a greater percentage of usable raw materials from waste. With single-use plastics a global problem, manufacturers are also looking at biodegradable packaging. Some food manufacturers are even introducing edible packages to cut down on waste.

Zero waste to landfill initiatives are already popular with construction companies and will only grow in number. The increasing connectivity of factories will also help manage waste and make the collection of waste easier and more efficient, reducing wasted journeys and carbon emissions.

The circular economy where waste is eliminated altogether may be some way off, but there are lots of practical steps manufacturers can take right now to improve their sustainability (and benefit their business and community) when it comes to waste.

Learn more about sustainability and maintenance with RS here.