If we want to protect the environment, we all have our work cut out.
Between household rubbish, emissions from vehicles like cars, buses and trucks, and the creation of hazardous and solid waste from the manufacturing and industrial businesses, it seems like we are fighting a losing battle to protect Mother Earth.
Indeed, findings from the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment revealed that instead of reducing levels of hazardous waste, Australia is actually increasing them year on year. In fact, it’s even growing at a faster rate than the nation’s population!
While this increase has the potential to do significant damage to the environment, there are some measures we can take to reduce and eventually prevent the damage from happening in the first place.
One such strategy is to embrace safe storage solutions throughout our homes and businesses. Here are six ways we can do that.
1- Reducing Waste through Proper Storage
Reducing our waste levels is arguably the best way to protect the environment from potential damage.
If items like electronics, chemicals, and sensitive materials are not stored properly, they could deteriorate or get damaged more prematurely than they ordinarily would. As a result, they would invariably be disposed of earlier and, therefore, end up in landfills quicker.
For this reason, adopting secure, climate-controlled storage can prolong the lifespan of items. The longer we use the items we already have, the fewer resources are required to manufacture new products.
One way to do this is to store seasonal items like clothes, Christmas decorations or outdoor equipment in a safe environment. This can prevent wear and tear caused by temperature fluctuations, dampness, or pests.
2- Safe Storage for Hazardous Materials
If you don’t handle and storage of hazardous materials, such as chemicals, paints, and cleaning agents, properly, it can have dire consequences for both humans and the planet. Should these substances leak into the soil and waterways, they could cause significant contamination and pose a very real threat to wildlife and ecosystems.
Specialised storage units designed for hazardous materials, like bunded storage solutions can go a long way towards preventing dangerous leaks and spills from happening.
They, and other similar storage solutions, offer features such as spill containment, fireproofing, and ventilation. As a result, they ensure that these materials are stored safely in a way that reduces their overall environmental impact.
3- Preserving Resources with Reusable Storage
Over 95% of plastic packaging is discarded after a single use. Moreover, an astonishing 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans every year.
Just by choosing reusable, durable storage containers that are made from sustainable materials can drastically reduce the amount of single-use plastics and cardboard we consume. So, consider switching to recycled plastic, bamboo, or metal options to reduce your carbon footprint.
In addition, many businesses are starting to adopt modular storage systems that can be easily reconfigured and reused over time. This admirable strategy ensures that storage units are not discarded after a single use, and therefore, resources can be conserved.
4- Energy Efficient Storage Facilities
In the past, most storage facilities were guilty of churning up energy through practices like leaving on in-efficient air conditioning systems or lights 24 hours a day. However, increasingly, many are becoming much more eco-friendly by investing in energy-efficient technologies.
Some of these include LED lighting that uses less power than traditional bulbs, solar-powered energy systems that reduce the facility’s carbon footprint and motion sensors that turn off lights when no one is around, thus saving electricity.
Subsequently, if you choose to store your goods in energy-efficient facilities, both the business and you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
5- Encouraging Sustainable Practices
Embracing energy-efficient storage solutions as a business is a good starting point. However, some companies are going a step further by incorporating eco-friendly policies that promote sustainable practices into their operations.
For instance, some facilities offer recycling programs for materials like cardboard boxes. At the same time, others have policies in place to minimise paper use by switching to digital documentation.
In addition, encouraging their customers to recycle or donate unwanted items instead of discarding them is another way businesses can help to create a movement of practices that reduce environmental harm.
6- Local storage
Instead of having items stored in a centralised or faraway location, which requires significant amounts of travel and fuel consumption, businesses can reduce the environmental impact of this transportation and fulfilment by adopting local storage solutions.
Ultimately, reducing the need for frequent transportation will help businesses reduce their costs and emissions.
