How to reduce waste in a cafe or restaurant
Cafes and restaurants invariably produce large volumes of waste, which must be quickly and easily disposed of to keep the business running smoothly. This is generally made up of food waste along with plastics, glass, and some miscellaneous items. In the fast paced environment of a hospitality business, it is crucial to have systems in place for your waste disposal to take place seamlessly. Perfect waste management does not sort itself out on the fly.
Get in touch with us at Solo Resource Recovery to discuss your options and how they many be implemented. In the meantime, you can save money and reduce the environmental impact of your business by putting in place these tips and tricks to cut down on waste in a café or restaurant setting. Every morsel you save from going to landfill makes an impact.
Firstly, you can reduce your waste to landfill by getting a green waste bin. Generally a café or restaurant will fill over half of their bins with food scraps. At Solo Resource Recovery, we can provide large sized green waste bins – typically as wheelie bins – to businesses in the hospitality industry. Separating out your organic, compostable waste from that which goes to landfill is a simple way to ensure responsible waste disposal. This is the one action that cafes and restaurants can take that will have the largest impact on the amount of waste they create.
A second way to cut down on restaurant waste is to change how you receive product. You can avoid plastic waste by requesting less packaging on items from your suppliers. Typically, you will receive food items in plastic, Styrofoam, and other materials which may be recyclable but can be easily avoided. Usually, suppliers will use way more packaging than is necessary. It does not hurt to call your suppliers and ask if they can eliminate or reduce the packaging in the products they send out to you. They may be able to supply re-usable packaging, which they would collect and rotate out at each shipment.
Thirdly, you can reduce food waste and cut on your costs by carefully managing perishable stock. Ensure all items are clearly labelled with the date they came in, and use up older items first. This will avoid you having to dispose of food items which reach expiry before you can use them up. A little bit of care and caution will save money for your business while also reducing the amount of food waste you produce.
Another method to reduce waste is to use refillable containers. If you supply salt, pepper and sauces at each table, rather than buy single-use containers which are placed on tables directly, invest in washable containers which you can re-fill using condiments purchased in bulk. This is another trick to save you money as well as conserve bin space. Also, the refillable containers can add to the aesthetic of your establishment.
There are many more techniques that can be put in place to cut down on waste from your restaurant or café. To discover your options, you can call us at Solo Resource Recovery on 1300 46 76 56. We partner with many businesses in the hospitality industry to implement effective and simple solutions for waste management.
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