Well, think about it, maybe there’s cardboard everywhere. Supplier packaging is stacked in places it definitely wasn’t meant to live. Staff is flattening boxes between other jobs. Returns are coming back with torn mailers, ripped labels, and enough extra tape, just too much. So, what’s the problem? Well, it was supposed to be sustainable, but instead it’s just producing waste.
It sounds surprising, but this is true, and this can happen here. Just generally speaking, that’s the bit growth doesn’t always advertise. Bigger orders can be absolutely wonderful for revenue, but they also put pressure on the stuff that’s in the background, like handling waste or even recycling.
Recyclable Packaging Still Has to Go Somewhere
Well, it’s easy to feel better about packaging when it’s recyclable, compostable, recycled, or generally less awful than the old stuff. And yeah, that’s still a positive step. But recyclable packaging doesn’t float off into the sunset just because the material is better. Someone still has to deal with it. End of story.
Well, boxes need flattening, plastic needs separating, paper needs keeping dry, damaged materials need sorting, you get the point here. But if the business is getting more deliveries and sending more parcels out, all those “eco-friendly” materials still need a proper process once they’ve been used.
Waste Equipment has to Match the Business Now
Is getting some extra bins really a good strategy? At least for a small business it is, but a growing one, well, not so much. But why? Well, they’re just more containers for the same problem. If cardboard, plastic, or packaging waste is moving through the business every day, the equipment has to match the volume, space, and pace of the operation. Now, it could honestly help to look into the pros and cons of vertical and horizontal balers since this can help a business figure out what actually fits, instead of choosing waste equipment based on just guessing and hoping for the best.
What Story is the Stockroom Telling?
Yes, that’s a real question here. Because what a customer sees on one side and what’s happening in the stockroom aren’t the same thing. That’s especially true when order volume grows faster than the storage and recycling setup. Well, that, and old systems tend to hang around longer than they should.
The same collection schedule, the same few bins, the same corner for broken-down boxes, even though the business is now dealing with twice the packaging and three times the deliveries. Clearly, there needs to be some catching up here.