Exercise 2 – What words for waste or resources do you use?
A wasted resource is anything that does not add value to the product. Each business has a variety of words it uses for waste, in addition to the word “waste”. Recognising these other words may help you identify further potentially valuable resources in your company that may be underutilised.
Write down six words for waste that you have in your company or process:
It may be easier to start identifying resources in solid wastes resulting from your production process. However, remember to include also other resources like energy, water, capacity and expertise.
Below, you will see a list of other words for waste. Go through the list and note any of the words that you use in your company. Are there any words you use in your company that are not on the list?
Example words for waste
| Allowance | Leakage | Rubbish |
| Batch growth | Make-ready | Runners |
| By-product | Make-ups | Samples |
| Cancelled orders | Material variance | Scrap |
| Contaminated solids | Mixing over-run | Second quality |
| Conveyor loss | Non-conformances | Seconds |
| Credits | Obsolete stock | Sewage |
| Customer returns | Offcuts | Shortages |
| Damage | Out-of-shelf life | Shrinkage |
| Defects | Out-of-spec | Side run |
| Deposit loss | Overcount | Skip hire |
| Dipstick error | Overdelivery | Slow moving stock |
| Dirty solvent | Overfill | Sludge |
| Downgrade | Over issue | Spare mix |
| Drainings | Over production | Sprues |
| Dregs | Overspec | Start-up allowance |
| Dross | Overweight | Stock loss |
| Dumped | Packaging | Substandard |
| Dust | Process loss | Surplus |
| Edge trim | Purgings | Swarf |
| Effluent | Quality samples | Sweepings |
| Evaporation | Reaction loss | Tails |
| Excess stock | Recoverable loss | Tops |
| Extraction | Reel ends | Trash |
| Flash | Reel strippings | Trials material |
| Garbage | Regrind | Underdelivery |
| Giveaway | Rejects | Unrecoverable loss |
| Head waste | Residue | Usage allowance |
| Hidden losses | Resort | Usage variance |
| Inspection loss | Returns | Workaway |
| Invisible loss | Rework | Yield loss |