Zero Waste Workplace

About this course

Most workplaces throw away bottles, cartons, paper, food and old equipment that someone would gladly buy, compost or reuse. This course shows you what zero waste honestly means, how to weigh and sort a week of your own waste, how to design bins and buying rules that work on a Nigerian site, how to work with a licensed recycler and keep proper records, and how to report results without greenwashing. It ends with a 90-day plan you can start on Monday. It is written by a working Nigerian recycling company that collects, sorts and processes the materials your site produces.

Who it's for: Facility managers, admin and HR leads, office managers, hotel, school and hospital operations staff, and sustainability champions who want to set up and run a zero waste programme at a site in Nigeria.

What you'll be able to do

• By the end you will be able to explain what zero waste means in practice, calculate a diversion rate and apply the waste hierarchy to the streams on your site.
• By the end you will be able to plan and run a one-week waste audit, record it on a simple data sheet and put a naira value on what you find.
• By the end you will be able to design bins, signage and colour coding for your site and change buying habits that create avoidable waste.
• By the end you will be able to choose and manage a licensed recycler, check weights and receipts, keep waste transfer records and set up food waste composting.
• By the end you will be able to engage staff, report kilograms diverted, money saved and emissions avoided honestly, and launch a programme with a 90-day plan.

Course outline

1. Module 1: What zero waste really meansAbout 10 minutes
   1. Zero waste, honestly defined
   2. The waste hierarchy at work
   3. Check your understanding
2. Module 2: Know your waste: the auditAbout 10 minutes
   1. Planning and running a one-week waste audit
   2. Reading your data sheet
   3. Check your understanding
3. Module 3: Bins, signs and smarter buyingAbout 10 minutes
   1. Designing bins, signage and colour coding
   2. Buying differently: procurement that prevents waste
   3. Check your understanding
4. Module 4: Recyclers, records and compostAbout 10 minutes
   1. Working with a licensed recycler
   2. Composting food and garden waste
   3. Check your understanding
5. Module 5: People, reporting and your 90-day planAbout 10 minutes
   1. Staff engagement, champions and behaviour change
   2. Measuring and reporting honestly
   3. Your 90-day launch plan
   4. Check your understanding

Standards and frameworks covered

• NESREA Act 2007 and NESREA environmental regulations
• National Environmental (Sanitation and Wastes Control) Regulations 2009
• National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic Sector) Regulations 2011
• National Policy on Solid Waste Management
• National Policy on Plastic Waste Management
• State environmental protection and waste management agencies
• Zero Waste International Alliance definition of zero waste and zero waste hierarchy
• ISO 14001 Environmental management systems
• ISO 14021 Self-declared environmental claims
• GRI 306: Waste (2020)
• GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and Scope 3 Standard
• TRUE Zero Waste certification (Green Business Certification Inc.), as a reference only
• UL 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill validation (UL Solutions), as a reference only