WASTE MANAGEMENT From compliance to culture
Graham Flynn, Managing Director at Waste Management provider Anenta, explains how to transform waste practices in professional cleaning.
The professional cleaning industry plays a vital role in maintaining hygiene and safety across workplaces, public spaces and commercial environments. It is also one of the UK’s largest service sectors. In 2022, the UK cleaning, hygiene and waste industry was valued at £66.9bn, the highest ever recorded, highlighting the scale and reach of the sector.
With such reach comes a significant environmental footprint, and despite rising awareness of sustainability, progress towards genuinely responsible waste practices remains uneven. The sector is large, diverse and often decentralised, which means that approaches vary widely between organisations, making consistency difficult to achieve.
Obstacles are both operational and behavioural. Regulations, hygiene protocols and the need for efficiency limit how much waste can be reduced or reused. However, the biggest barrier is not knowledge: it’s human behaviour. Sustainable processes only work when they are simple, intuitive and supported by a culture that values them.
The challenge of behaviour change
Cleaning staff handle waste daily and are often first to spot mis-disposed items. Yet achieving consistent waste management across teams can still be surprisingly difficult. Most operatives know how to segregate waste and handle hazardous materials, but translating that knowledge into routine practice across busy, mobile and time-pressured sites is a challenge. Differences in bin layouts, signage or instructions between sites often lead to shortcuts or contamination.
Even staff who follow good habits personally can struggle at work when visible cleanliness and speed are priorities. When recycling points are distant or unclear, the practical barriers outweigh environmental intentions. Ensuring staff know what ‘good’ looks like is essential, but ensuring they can do it easily is even more important.
Supporting sustainable habits
Improving compliance requires more than reminders. Auditing waste streams across sites clarifies priorities and highlights where interventions will have the most impact. Clear, consistent bin layouts, colour coding and accessible collection points make correct disposal easy, while portable containers for recyclables prevent contamination and save time.
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Even small adjustments, such as standardising disposal stations, can significantly improve behaviour and reduce confusion for staff who move between locations, particularly those working across large or multi-use facilities. These practical changes remove friction and make sustainable choices the default rather than an extra task.
Balancing sustainability with hygiene and safety
The cleaning industry must balance environmental goals with hygiene requirements. Single-use cloths or mop heads may be necessary in high-risk areas, and chemical products must meet efficacy standards. Sustainability efforts should therefore focus on what can change safely: reducing packaging, switching to refillable systems, optimising stock and partnering with specialist recyclers. Many organisations are also exploring concentrated products, reusable trigger heads and dosing systems that limit waste without compromising hygiene.
Leadership and culture
Behaviour change works best when reinforced from the top. Supervisors and managers who model best practice, review performance and recognise teams that follow procedures help embed sustainable habits. Integrating waste management into onboarding, site assessments, procurement and client discussions ensures it becomes part of organisational culture rather than an optional extra. When staff see that sustainable practice is valued, supported and consistently reinforced, it becomes a natural part of daily work.
The opportunity for the cleaning sector
Clients increasingly seek environmentally responsible partners, and regulations are tightening. Effective waste management offers cost savings, competitive advantage and reputational value. Human behaviour can make managing waste challenging, but it also offers the biggest opportunity. With clear systems, strong leadership and smart use of data, cleaning teams can reduce their environmental impact while working more efficiently and delivering even greater value across the sites they support.
www.anentawaste.com
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