As a farmer, you depend on the natural world to provide for your clients and customers—from the soil to the animals who graze on it. Therefore, it’s important that you prioritize the planet’s well-being with responsible waste management practices. Here are just some of the ways you can reduce, reuse, and recycle on your farm.

3 Helpful Waste Management Tips for Farmers

1. Recycling Animal Waste

Many farmers don’t just take care of crops—they also nurture livestock, such as chickens, pigs, and cows. These animals will produce a significant amount of waste, but these droppings don’t have to be cleaned up and thrown out. Farmers can reuse animal waste by adding it to compost mixtures. Made from natural, organic materials like food scraps and manure, this substance can be applied to gardens to make the soil richer and more fertile, enhancing plant and crop growth. Farmers can also sell the compost to local gardeners.

2. Reusing Water

Dairy farmers use water to wash their milking parlors, the areas where they milk their cows. Instead of sending this water immediately down into a drainage system, farmers can save natural resources by capturing the liquid. They can use this milky water to wash away manure in barns. They can then use the water a third time by watering crops with the nutrient-rich solution.

3. Using Secondhand Cow Bedding

Whether gathered from local recycling facilities or their own properties, dairy farmers can contribute to smart waste management practices when creating sand beds for their livestock. Cows like to sleep on sand bedding, as it conforms to the shape of their bodies and is easily cleaned and reused. However, farmers can also make soft bedding out of solid, recycled manure.

If you’re working in the agricultural industry, get in touch with Southeast Waste Disposal of Ozark, AL. They have over a decade of experience providing waste management solutions to commercial customers. Whether you own a business, restaurant, or farm, they offer rental dumpsters for your convenience. For more information on how they can enhance your enterprise, visit the website or call (334) 774-4158 today.