Excess waste is an issue for almost all retail operations. Whether your business is a restaurant, a gift shop, a clothing store or any other kind of retail, odds are you’ve puzzled over what to do with your refuse. You might even feel a little overwhelmed as waste piles up from regular transactions. While there’s plenty of commercial junk removal services, there’s more you can do to eliminate waste in your day-to-day and assure you’re not only handling waste efficiently, but cheaply.

Research the best solutions for your business

Most professional waste removal services will handle a variety of commercial enterprises. But you’ll want to do a little research on the best ways to handle your business’s refuse. Discuss budgeting with the service you decide to work with and strategize ways that you might reduce waste to stay under cost. Compare and contrast services to ensure your current waste management is meeting your business’s needs.

Minimize packaging waste

Even small changes can help your business’s sustainability–and the overall amount of waste created. When your customers make purchases, ask them if they’d like a bag or a receipt, instead of assuming they’ll want one. You can also encourage customers to use reusable bags by adding small cash incentives, or even selling your own reusable bags. Not only can you reduce the waste created by transactions, but from shipping, too. Ask your vendors if they can remove bulky or non-biodegradable packaging from products. Support vendors who prize sustainability, and encourage your existing vendors to use recycled materials for their packaging, if possible.

Create incentives for both your customers and staff

You can reduce waste for your store (and overall) by creating programs in your own store. Consider starting an upcycling or buy-back program for your products, especially if you sell clothing. You can encourage your staff to reduce waste and consumption, too—hold a staff meeting to discuss ways your business can make less of a dent, whether that’s digital marketing or reducing office paper waste. Talk about ways employees can better dispose of items through recycling, and remind them that slightly damaged products in store can be donated, upcycled or recycled.

Place recycling bins in and around your retail location—and invest in a baler

If you’re going through lots of paper and cardboard, there’s ways you can cut down on trash costs. Provide the option for recycling items around your business to encourage customers and employees to minimize their waste. You’ll reduce your trash handling costs further by investing in a cardboard baler, allowing you to store your recyclables more efficiently.

Lose the paper marketing

Go digital with your marketing and branding. Advertise deals, sales, new menu items or other events via social media, or encourage your customers to sign up for an online newsletter.