Our planet is at great risk from climate change. Scientists have already predicted global temperatures will rise in the upcoming decades, mainly due to human-created greenhouse gases (GHGs). Surprisingly, methane gas produced from landfills is one of the most significant contributors to GHG emissions, accounting for about 16% of global emissions.
To tackle this rising concern, businesses need to step up and train their workforce on waste management. This starts with educating employees about proper waste segregation — separating dry and wet materials to encourage their optimal treatment.
Proper waste segregation also ensures that biodegradable (or organic) materials are directed to anaerobic or aerobic digestion instead of being dumped into landfills. This reduces GHG production and supports resource recovery from waste.
Companies committed to sustainability must implement robust education tools to improve how they handle waste. This guide explores proper waste segregation and its impacts on anaerobic and aerobic digestion, helping organizations make informed decisions. Let’s dive in!
Understanding Anaerobic and Aerobic Processes
Waste management is a crucial step for businesses seeking true sustainability. The two most widely used processes for treating organic waste are anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting.
Each process is applied under specific conditions, depending on the type of waste.
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion involves microorganisms that decompose organic materials into biogas (methane gas) and digestate (fertilizer) without oxygen.
Anaerobic digestion is particularly effective for breaking down high-moisture organic waste because it facilitates microbial activity during the process.
It is ideal for decomposing:
- Leftover fruits and vegetables
- Manure and crop leftovers
- Byproducts from food manufacturing
Aerobic Composting
In aerobic composting, microorganisms break down organic materials into compost, water, and carbon dioxide. This process occurs in the presence of oxygen, which is why it is faster than anaerobic digestion.
Aerobic composting is ideal to decompose a balanced mix of organic waste and dry materials, including:
- Yard waste
- Dry food scraps
- Food waste from restaurants and food processing companies
Key Segregation Categories for Optimal Digestion
Businesses can maximize the efficiency of anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting with effective waste segregation. To enable this, their employees must understand the type of organic materials suitable and unsuitable for each process.
Here are the critical segregation categories:
Organics for Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion favors wet organic waste, including:
- Food scraps: Fruit and vegetable peels, leftover cooked food, and a limited amount of dairy products
- Manure: Livestock manure from cows, pigs, and poultry
- Specific biodegradable materials: Coffee grounds, filters, non-plastic tea bags, and specific biodegradable packaging materials (check for certification)
Such types of organic waste can be treated to yield nutrient-rich digestate, which is used as fertilizer.
Materials Suitable for Aerobic Composting
Aerobic composting is ideal for a balanced mix of organic materials, including:
- Yard waste: Grass clippings, leaves, small branches, and twigs
- Certain food scraps: Fruit and vegetable scraps (in smaller quantities), coffee grounds, and eggshells
- Dry organic materials: Shredded paper and non-glossy cardboard, straw and hay, and sawdust from untreated wood
Non-Organic Waste
Your employees should also know about materials that can’t be decomposed with either of these processes. These are non-organic materials that contaminate the ecosystem and the planet.
Such types of waste include:
- Plastics: Plastic bags, containers, and wrappers
- Metals: Aluminum cans, tin cans, and other metal items
- Treated wood: Chemically treated or painted wood
- Glass: While recyclable, it should be kept separate for recycling
Educational Tools and Techniques for Training
Businesses can implement various educational tools and techniques to educate employees about proper waste segregation. This approach empowers employees with a better understanding and is more effective than reinforcing strict sustainability policies.
Here are some excellent waste management training methods:
Hands-On Training Workshops
Theory can only go so far; employees need practical experiences to understand complicated things. Hands-on training workshops teach employees how to identify and sort different types of waste.
You can organize activities requiring employees to categorize waste materials into appropriate categories and win prizes. This will help them remember what goes into organic, recyclable, and non-recyclable waste.
Another option is to simulate actual workplace situations where employees must make instant decisions about waste segregation. This will allow them to apply what they have learned practically.
Visual Aids and Signage
Humans love visuals. To reinforce waste segregation, you can use various visual aids and signage, such as posters, labels, and color-coded bins. This approach helps employees recognize the right placement of specific types of waste instantly.
Visual aids also act as constant reminders for new employees.
Digital Modules and Interactive Quizzes
Digital modules make learning more flexible than in-person classes. While e-learning allows employees to learn at their own pace, it also boosts engagement through interactive quizzes and multimedia content.
Businesses can incorporate interactive quizzes on waste types and segregation practices into their learning modules. They can also include videos, infographics, and illustrations to make the learning experience more fun and engaging.
Gamified Sorting Challenges
In addition to interactive quizzes, businesses can introduce gamified challenges to create more employee engagement.
For instance, they can organize team-based competitions where each team must sort waste correctly within a specific timeframe. The winner will receive a reward, which can be a positive reinforcement for employees who get bored quickly.
Benefits of Proper Waste Segregation in Digestive Processes
Proper waste segregation benefits not only the planet but also the businesses that implement it correctly. Here are some large-scale advantages of this sustainability strategy:
- Improved efficiency and output: Well-sorted organic materials support the activity of microorganisms in both anaerobic and aerobic digestion. This results in more biogas yields, efficient energy recovery, and improved quality of the final products.
- Reduction in contamination: Proper segregation minimizes contamination risks, leading to high-quality outputs — purer biogas from anaerobic digestion, more nutrient-rich compost from aerobic digestion, and little to no GHG emissions.
- Cost savings: Many regions impose higher landfill disposal costs. Businesses operating in these regions can reduce their waste disposal fees by directing organic waste in the right direction.
- Environmental impact reduction: Proper waste management practices contribute to lower GHG emissions by supporting the recovery of nutrients and energy from organic materials. This reduces environmental impact and aligns businesses with global sustainability goals.
Waste Management Training: A Win-Win for Businesses and the Planet
Employee training on proper waste segregation is important for businesses and the environment. It helps employees reduce their carbon footprint by directing organic waste from landfills to the right digestion processes — anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting.
To implement sustainability across your organization, your workforce must be well-trained in proper waste management. That’s the only way you can fully achieve your sustainability goals.
Need help? At EcoRich, we have a team of professionals who offer expert guidance to businesses on waste management practices. Contact us today to learn about the best ways to train your employees on waste segregation!
