Industrial recycling could be an option for you if you have a qualifying product. Many manufacturing companies especially have found more profitability by selling by-product that is created in the process of creating another product.

You and your company might want to consider industrial recycling if you:

1. Have waste, recycling and landfill costs

2. Want to reduce raw material expenses

3. Produce by-product materials

Do you have waste and recycling expenses?

If you spend more than $10,000 a month on your waste and recycling expenses, there’s a 90% chance that you’re already overspending on them.

Your rates likely aren’t capped. You may need different equipment or service levels. And you may be locked into long contract lengths. Most companies we’ve worked with have overspent in at least one of these ways.

So there are almost certainly overt ways you’re unintentionally overpaying. But there are also less obvious ways.

For most of the manufacturing companies we work with, we explore adding revenue streams by adding recycling. This could be a hidden revenue opportunity worth thousands of dollars.

Too many corporations send their waste to landfills or special processing facilities because they don’t realize they can profit from that waste! They’re throwing away money, and they have no idea.

Recycling waste and reusing it can be financially beneficially in multiple ways. For example, certain kinds of waste can be recycled and be used as a renewable energy source to run your company. Or if you own a company that produces a large amount of excess oil, those oils can be used to generate electricity (heating and cooling). Once the oil is processed, it can also be used to run engines and machines that are being used during the manufacturing process.

Lower Raw Material Expenses

Manufacturing companies across many industries have recently explored ways to reuse and recycle their by-products in order to increase sustainability efforts and profitability.

Estee Lauder has recycled a whopping 85% of their waste to produce new beauty products in recent years. Nikes have been producing new shoes over the past few years from their waste materials, thus reducing their need for raw materials.

But these large companies aren’t outliers. Smaller manufacturing facilities - particularly those who process metal - have found they can save roughly $1,300/ton just by recycling by-products.

Even construction companies can benefit from industrial recycling. Recycling HDPE plastics (bottles, plastic bags, boxes) are typically paid at a rate of $250/ton. Recycling PET materials (materials from packaging, polyester, etc.) can produce $150/ton. Over the span of time, that adds up!

Many companies are taking this approach because according to a recent study, companies are saving 90% of their energy required to produce new materials/products. Finding new, sustainable solutions to old problems isn’t just more profitable - it’s smarter.

Produce Waste By-Product

It’s entirely possible that with every trip to the dump, you are throwing away hundreds of dollars. Is this something your company can afford?

Adding a recycling stream can reduce your waste output, which can doubly benefit your bottom line. First, by reducing the amount of waste, you’ll spend less on pick-ups and trips to the dump site. And by selling those by-products that were destined to go to a waste facility, you’ve created a revenue stream which ultimately adds to your bottom line.

How to Know if Industrial Recycling is Right for You

Industrial recycling options will depend on your industry, the materials you produce, and the vendors available to you.

Markets for recycling fluctuate. In recent years, China has stopped accepting US plastic for recycling, so some kinds of plastic or no longer a viable recycling option on the industrial scale. The rates for metals and oils fluctuate with market demand, product availability, ease of transport, and a host of other variables.

If you have a by-product that is marketable and several area buyers who are willing to bid for it, you’ll likely be in a situation where you can easily add a revenue stream. But some by-products are not as easily sold, or have to have specialized buyers. Again, it all depends on your industry and your waste streams - which is why our audits are thorough and uniquely tailored to your needs!