For many years, companies all across the country have been diligent about recycling, but there is still a significant amount of waste that can't be recycled - waste that is usually sent to landfills or incinerators. When waste ends up in landfills, it creates a long term liability for future generations. If incinerated, the waste is only partly destroyed, and a solid residue remains which requires further disposal. In a time of dwindling natural resources and growing concern over pollution, these methods are becoming less acceptable - both to the public and to companies with a strong business conscience. When recycling is not an option, you can use a method called co-processing, which allows more of your waste to be re-used, helping reduce your environmental impact and preserving other vital resources for future generations.

The waste management hierarchy 

The waste management hierarchy ranks the preferred methods of handling waste, ranging from avoidance of waste generation at the top of the scale, to totally unmanaged waste at the bottom. The closer you can operate at the top of the hierarchy, the less waste you will need to discard, and the lower impact you will have on your community and the environment. While the hierarchy covers a full range of methods from recovery to disposal, the four key areas of waste management explored here are landfilling, incineration, co-processing and recycling. You can rely on Geocycle to help you more effectively manage your waste streams by recommending the best methods for resource recovery from different types of waste.