6 Ways to Recycle Industrial Waste

Recycling and reusing materials is easy enough: placing plastic into the recycling bin, cleaning and reusing old jars, and going the extra mile to separate recyclables. But the process becomes a lot more complex – and even daunting – when we think about recycling industrial waste.

Industrial waste often falls into the category of hazardous waste, meaning it needs the proper disposal process, and you cannot leave it in a landfill. In addition to the harm they can cause the environment, disposing of industrial waste materials can prove costly to you and your company.

At INGENIUM, we specialize in the recycling of industrial waste for countless companies. Whether you need to dispose of food waste, liquid waste, unused materials, industrial materials, or you need comprehensive industrial waste management, we have you covered.

Perhaps the best thing you can do to ensure you’re following waste regulations is to develop a recycling and waste management plan. For that reason, we’ve outlined examples of the most effective ways to recycle industrial materials to manage your waste generation and reduce waste overall.

What Is Industrial Waste?

Industrial waste encompasses any unwanted, unusable materials you dispose of: For example, chemical residue on empty barrels. Often, companies send all their waste to one location, typically and landfill, where it will sit for decades, contributing to greenhouse gases that arise during wastewater treatment.

As we’ll make clear, much of the waste industries dump in landfills actually has much more use than most people might imagine.

Developing a reduce, reuse, and recycle strategy for your company will allow you to convert “waste” materials into reusable energy, resources, and materials. You have the option of recycling your waste to another business that needs it or even using it yourself to power your plant.

1. Breaking the Waste Down

Many facilities have turned to industrial composting systems instead of landfills to create less waste overall; using microorganisms, composts break down biodegradable organic waste.

Some businesses take the byproducts of these broken-down recycled materials to reuse in energy production. The resource recovery process proves straightforward, and there are plenty of plants offering energy recovery across the US.

2. Burn It to Make it!

Often, industries can transform non-hazardous waste into new materials. Some of the everyday items recycled this way include:

  • Industrial transformers
  • Oil filters
  • Large containers

3. Hot Treatment

Much solid waste and other materials contain energy content. By utilizing the hot treatment process for waste disposal, your company can directly reclaim energy and reuse it for electricity for production and other business processes.

4. Harnessing the Harmful Gas

Because dumping waste in a landfill is so inexpensive, your company might already rely on them for even dumping your recyclable materials.

To battle greenhouse gas emissions, services like ours capture the hazardous emitted gas to reuse as energy in other forms.

5. Reclaiming the Waste

One of the best waste recycling methods companies utilize is reclamation. Processing waste this way allows your business to reuse energy to create new materials. At INGENIUM, we can distill batteries, old thermometers, and even solvents used in production to recycle industrial waste and reuse it for new purposes.

Because industrial waste in landfills far outweighs the waste disposed of by the average individual, we set our sights on industries that develop the most solid waste, trying to find a better way for them to act to promote the longevity of the environment.

6. Use a Waste Exchange Program

If we haven’t clarified enough, what your industry considers waste could be valuable to another business. You can take any trash your produce to a waste exchange program which will take:

  • Industrial waste materials
  • Scrap tires
  • Non-hazardous solid and liquid waste
  • Off-spec products
  • Scraps and excess
  • Some types of raw materials
  • Cardboard

Industrial waste recycling centers allow you to carry out waste disposal ethically while also walking away with some money.

Benefits of Industrial Waste Recycling

Regardless of your industry, you produce waste streams. However, simply dumping your waste in landfills does not cut the most costs. Engaging in industrial materials recycling offers many benefits for you and your business, besides simply being better for the environment.

Reduce Costs

Your company eats a cost upfront when using a standard landfill for waste management purposes. Likewise, your waste streams lose you even more money when you consider how they could be recycled into reusable energy and resources.

Even if you’re not recycling the material yourself, you can reduce costs by purchasing raw materials made from recycled materials. For example, aluminum, a commonly used material in many manufacturing and processing plants, is one of the most accessible materials to recycle. You can significantly cut costs by buying aluminum recycled from other materials.

Save Resources and Energy

Regardless of how they affect your company, recycling and following federal regulations have the most significant impact on the environment. The more companies turn from disposal to recycling, the fewer resources everyone will need to produce new raw materials. Likewise, the less waste management hinges on landfills, the more we can use that land for other purposes.

Create a Sustainable Brand

Regardless of the products or services your brand offers, your customers will respond well to your mission to become greener. You can reap the social benefits of industrial recycling across the board, turning it into part of your company’s mission, which can become a competitive advantage.

Create New Jobs

Recycling industrial waste encompasses transportation, processing, and reselling, and the entire process necessitates various skillsets. Reusing and recycling create up to nine times more jobs than landfills and incinerators.

Be More Efficient

Not correctly handling your waste upfront can lead to you spending additional time and money down the line. Using waste management processes allows you to run your business more efficiently, allocating your resources to grow other areas of your company.

Stay Compliant

Your local and federal government requires you to follow specific waste protocols for environmental reasons. The rules and regulations vary depending on your industry, and complying with regulations ahead of time allows you to avoid fines and penalties.

Stop Wasting Time

If you’re manufacturing a ton of waste and dumping it in landfills, you’re wasting your time and money. At INGENIUM, we handle every step of the waste disposal process, ensuring that your company’s waste sees good use.

Are you interested in waste-to-energy – the ability to reuse your own waste for base materials, electricity, and more? Give us a call today at (760) 745-8780 to learn more about our services or fill out our risk assessment form to get started. We’ll answer all your questions and bring your company closer to a green state.

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