In today’s world, the public is becoming more aware of the environmental impact of consumer goods. Also, buyers are increasingly concerned about the products they put in their bodies, on their bodies, and in their homes—so much so that there is a trend to purchase products that promise to be made with pure, clean, and wholesome ingredients. But what does that really mean, and do consumers understand what exactly they’re buying? For instance, do you know what it means when brands print natural or organic on a food label? Could you confidently explain the difference between recyclable and sustainable? If we, as consumers, expect to get what we want, we must be able to navigate the terminology confidently.

They say waste management is the process involved in managing waste from cradle to grave. It is also a necessary and unavoidable cost of doing business. After all, companies produce waste daily, which needs to be removed quickly so that it doesn’t take over office space and outdoor areas. However, many companies aren’t aware that they are paying too much for waste management, whether because of inefficient waste collection schedules, hidden fees in service contracts, a lack of recycling initiatives, or a host of additional inefficiencies somewhere in the middle.

Many businesses may assume there is no way around these and other issues, but we politely disagree. Fortunately, there are strategies to reduce waste removal costs and improve your profits and bottom line.

Here are our top 8 tips to reduce your company’s waste management costs.

Metal is used everywhere, whether it be in typical, everyday residential life or the ever-complex commercial business space. From manufacturing equipment to automobiles, steel barrels, and soda cans, you would be hard-pressed not to encounter something made from metal on any given day. That said, like all products, metal items will be past their usefulness and need to be replaced or trashed at some point. Instead of that material ending up in landfills, the best solution is to choose commercial and industrial metal recycling.

Hopefully, many of us know by now that recycling and repurposing help protect our environment by reducing the number of recyclable materials going into our landfills and limiting the amount of trash headed for incinerators worldwide. For instance, recycling and reusing manufactured products reduces emissions, conserves natural resources, saves energy, and prevents pollution. Also, many of us recycle and/or reuse paper, cardboard, aluminum, and plastics as part of our everyday routine. But did you know that many other household and office goods—including something as common as your toothbrush—can be recycled and repurposed? Here is a sampling of how to recycle the most surprising ones!

Did you know Americans create more than 250 million tons of trash each year? That’s nearly five pounds of municipal solid waste per person per day. Those are eye-catching statistics, and while it is natural to expect those numbers to grow exponentially in the years to come, we should also be doing a better job of recycling. Yes, plenty of what we throw away is, in fact, garbage. But more of it is recyclable than you might think.