While planning to recycle your commercial waste, it is imperative to choose the right recycling company. You may have the best intention at heart, but the company you choose has to be certified and licensed to recycle in a manner that is not harmful for the planet. A little research is necessary before signing on a company to recycle your waste. Here are a few tips which will help you choose the right recycling company for your needs:
Tips to choose the right recycling company for commercial waste
Check the credentials
Every country gives a recycling certificate or license to recycling companies. Having the certification means that they have undergone professional training in recycling program, which allows them to know the industry best practices. The company you choose must have the skills and the knowhow to recycle commercial waste, whether it is e-waste, plastic/paper waste or construction waste.
In the US, hiring an unlicensed and unregistered recycling company is a criminal offence for which you will be penalized. As a business hiring a recycling company for commercial waste, it is imperative to keep the Waste Transfer Note for at least two years. This note would have your business address proof, company name, registration number of the recycler, quantity and type of waste and so on.
The right recycling company will have ISO certification, including all the information you need. They will provide you with a waste management plan so that you know what the entire process will entail.
Check the capability
One of the best tips on how to choose the right recycler is to check whether their capability or capacity matches your requirement. Check whether they have the certification for handling hazardous waste, if they have a collection service or other needs. The right recycling company for you would be the one which takes care of both hazardous as well as non-hazardous waste, transfrontier transportation and so on.
Recycling companies may specialize in niche categories, so you must find out if the company of your choice recycles all types of business waste, such as paper, glass, etc to industrial effluents. If not, then you may have to find different recyclers for different wastes.
Check for recycling violations
One of the best ways to choose the right recycling company for commercial waste is to check that the company does not have any violations. There are strict rules for recycling which companies have to adhere to. There are simple rule violations such as not separating the items to be recycled into proper bins, and it could be as serious as violating safety norms. If a company has an outstanding fine and a shady reputation, not hiring that company is the best move, even though it may be giving you a good deal in terms of price.
Ask for the data security process
In these days of industrial espionage and data theft, you have to be very careful while protecting your data. When you give away your old computer, laptops and other sensitive IT assets, you have to delete the data which is on them. Still, unscrupulous people can steal data even after you have deleted the files from your end. One of the major requirements for a recycling company is to let you know the processes which they follow to secure your data from recycled items.
Ask about the environmental commitment
In the process of how to choose the right recycling company, select the company which can convince you about its commitment to the environment. The company has to be transparent about their claims, and be able to deliver the proofs you require. If it claims to recycle 70% waste, then it may not be 70% of the waste collected from you, but they are mentioning their overall recycling rate.
This rate can be hiked as many companies have skip businesses which are dealing with construction waste. You should try to find out if that is the case, and how the company handles the rest of the stuff.
Company must have a physical address
The companies which are responsible will have a physical address of the facility where they recycle. If it provides dodgy information, then it might not be what it claims to be. It may be a company which sends all the recyclable items to a country abroad, which is part of a major problem for the environment.
Choose a company which has reasonable rates
Going with a very cheap vendor may not be the best solution. The right recycling company is one which would give you a good deal, and keep a right amount for themselves. Very cheap rates might mean that the company is cutting corners somewhere.
Do a market survey of the various rates and get quotations from different companies. This will help you in negotiating the right amount for waste disposal.
Read the contract carefully
Read the contract at length so that you understand all the points, and get to know if you have to pay any penalty for early exit from the contract.
Customer service and support
Check if your recycling company has the kind of service and support you are looking for. This could be at different levels. For example, if you want assistance in determining the reduction of your waste, or how to increase recycling of more products, and so on. They should be able to provide waste audit services.
Also, when you are choosing the provider, the company should be able to do an analysis of your waste sample so that you would know whether they are the right recycling partner for you. The company should have onsite lab for compliance testing of waste as well as their classification. The pre-acceptance test can determine the kind of disposal method for you, which would lead to determining the cost of disposal.
To sum up, the right company for you is one which is licensed, had ISO certification, provides you with all the information you need, is easily accessible to answer your queries, and can help you improve your carbon footprint.