Optimizing Warehouse Waste Management: A Step-By-Step Guide

Whether it’s a new setup or your current warehouse has descended into chaos, you can optimise your waste management in five simple steps.

Optimising your warehouse practices are vital to create a lean, efficient, and productive business. The golden five ‘S’s in warehousing are:

• Sort: Distinguish between needed and un-needed items and processes
• Set: Put items in the best place for smooth operations
• Shine: Keep the warehouse clean
• Standardise: Ensure consistency or processes and tools and equipment across the business
• Sustain: Ensure best practices become habits

Utilising these five practices in waste management saves time and money, makes the business more environmentally friendly, and sets you up for success.

1. Take a Look at the Big Picture

First, you need to take a step back and look at the holistic picture of operations. What happens currently? Are outcomes optimal? Is there a better way? Think about things like:

• Is waste being sorted correctly so that there’s no contamination?
• Are bins in the best places for ease of use and pickup?
• Looking at each work area, is every item in there needed for smooth operation?
• What is happening currently? For instance, if one type of waste is not being disposed of correctly, it’s probably due to a gap in processes or understanding
• Do you have everything required for optimal waste management? This could include bulk waste bins, compactors, baler machines, and wires to strap up goods
• What kind of waste is produced, and in what quantity?
• Is the waste sorted in house at a centralised location, or distributed across the facility?

2. Create a Consistent Plan for In-House Waste Sorting

Now that you can see what is currently happening, develop processes to ensure correct waste management processes. Involve the employees in this; they have ideas and understanding of day-to-day operations that you don’t.

Have a place for everything and everything in its place. Chaos creates waste of resources, time, and profit. Create dedicated sorting areas and processes that allow for swift production and movement of goods and materials.

Don’t over-process either; doing more than the minimum is a costly and confusing mistake. Don’t add too many steps or require long journeys of waste inside the warehouse. Streamline.

One of the benefits to buying our wheelie bins in NZ is that they can be colour coded. Whether it’s to differentiate between types of waste, what’s stored inside, or the department they’re allocated to, it ensures no contamination or confusion.

3. Buy Quality Tools and Equipment

Having quality equipment saves money in the long run. It means less replacement of broken items, but it also means you have the right tools for the job. All our two-wheeled bulk waste bins are UV stabilised for outdoor use, durable and cold resistant enough for use in cool store. They are made of food grade plastic, and can be used for storage too, not just waste.

• Wheelie bin, 2 wheels, 80 litre, HDPE, comes in black, nature green, dark green, blue, red, and yellow. Combinations of base and lid can be created to suit your needs.
• Wheelie bin, 2 wheels, 120 litre, HDPE, comes in black, nature green, dark green, blue, red, yellow orange. Combinations of base and lid can be created to suit.
• Wheelie bin, 2 wheels, 140 litres, HDPE, comes in black, nature green, dark green, blue, red, and yellow. Colour combinations of base and lid can be individualised.
• 240 litre wheelie bin, 2 wheels, HDPE, comes in black, nature green, dark green, blue, red and yellow. Combinations of base and lid can be created to suit your needs.
• Wheelie bin, 2 wheels, 360 litres, HDPE, comes in dark green only.
• Foldable pallet bin 700 litre, comes in grey, carries up to 1000kg dynamic load. Can be stacked up to 6 units high (with 600kg limit when stacked). Food contact approved plastic and can be used in horticulture or any other production facility
• Wheelie bin, four wheels, 660 litre in black, dark green, and nature green. Can be used inside and outside, is able to be used with a forklift, and has brakes on wheels
• Wheelie bin, four wheels, 1100 litres comes in green as a standard colour but there are other options. Wheels have brakes, can be used inside and outside.

4. Start the Process

Anything that you identified in the first step as being un-needed clutter, get rid of it. Gone.

Start with a clean and organised warehouse. All waste is in the correct place, and the warehouse is swept and clean.

Place all the bins and tools you purchased in their intended home. Using tape or paint, ensure they stay in their demarcated area.

Ensure employees understand processes and provide all training and signage that’s required.

5. Be Consistent

This is where the planning and implementation are tested. If employees remain consistent and use the systems, they’ve been well designed. If problems keep cropping up, especially if it’s the same ones again and again, it’s time to look at the system and see if it’s fit for purpose. Don’t be scared to rearrange to make a system that encourages consistency.

When processes are failing despite employee buy-in, you’ll need to reinforce the processes and potentially remind people of systems.

Contact IFP Group For Bulk Waste Bins and Warehousing Plastic Requirements

We are more than just providing wheelie bins in NZ (although ours are the best). Give us a call on 09 636 9193 to chat about the options available, or check out our range on www.ifpgroup.co.nz .