6 Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste With a Restaurant Waste Management Service
Using a restaurant business waste management service is a good idea to avoid the potential consequences of food waste. Here are some ways to reduce your food waste. If you are a restaurateur and want to improve your environmental footprint, you should consider composting restaurant waste.
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Reduce Your Food Waste: Composting
Organic waste helps break down organic materials using the natural elements of carbon, nitrogen, moisture, and oxygen. The end product is a dark substance called humus, which can be used on all soil types and help plants grow. The benefits of composting go beyond the financial ones. In addition to being better for the environment, composting is a good PR move for your business. It can also motivate diners to visit your restaurant. Composting restaurant business waste is an excellent solution to pollution problems.
The restaurant industry is one of the community’s largest generators of ICI waste, but individual facilities are often relatively small generators. Collaboration between facilities is crucial for the sustainability of the restaurant waste management process. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the Durham County government should consider collaborating on composting restaurant waste, a key component of the Zero Waste initiative.
Before starting a composting program, consider your restaurant’s current waste management service. Some do not offer a haul-away service for composting restaurant waste. Otherwise, check with a composting facility near you. If you cannot find a composting facility, you can always use a resource like Find a Composter. Ask how involved they are in composting and whether they will pick up and dispose of your compost waste.
Unlike the recycling bin, composting food is inappropriate for bones and meat. However, fruits and vegetables make excellent compost. You can also compost coffee grounds and nutshells. Additionally, tea bags can be composted.
You can put the following food waste in your caddy: |
You cannot put the following waste in your caddy:
|
meat and fish – raw or cooked, including bones and skin
fruit and vegetables – raw or cooked
all non-liquid dairy products
eggs including shells
bread, cakes and pastries
rice, pasta and beans
uneaten food from your plates and dishes
tea bags and coffee grounds |
liquids
oil
liquid fat |
Reduce Your Food Waste: Recycling
Many restaurants produce various commercial waste, but you can easily create a plan to recycle as much of it as possible. This is an excellent way to become more environmentally friendly and reduce your restaurant business waste disposal costs. Train employees to follow the plan to make the process as simple and hassle-free as possible. Moreover, make it as easy as possible for them to recycle. Ultimately, this will save you time and money in the long run.
- First, identify what materials your restaurant will recycle.
- Next, educate your staff to follow the recycling process and rinse all containers thoroughly before disposing of your commercial waste. This is crucial as food particles can contaminate the recycling batch.
- If your restaurant uses plastic containers, wash them thoroughly before using them for reuse. Likewise, use reusable containers to store the food scraps, such as plastic bottles.
Recycling food waste will reduce the need to purchase more plastic. Several other options for restaurant waste recycling include composting. You can set up a compost bin on your restaurant’s property. Composting can reduce the overall cost of running a restaurant regardless of what type of food waste you produce.
Reduce Your Food Waste: First-in/first-out method
The first-in/first-out method of restaurant waste management forces employees to use the oldest food first. This method is beneficial for restaurants that use large quantities of food at one time. It forces workers to serve the most miniature food possible and reduces waste because leftover food inevitably goes wrong. In addition to preventing food from going bad, this method can also help reduce costs. First-in/first-out method of restaurant waste management helps restaurants cut their food costs by 30 per cent.
The FIFO method is a good starting point for any new waste management initiative. A restaurant’s inventory can vary significantly during different seasons. It is helpful to estimate the number of days before the expiration date of each food item. This will help prevent food waste and reduce the input costs related to food. The FIFO method can also minimise food waste by storing items on the front of the shelf.
Food waste is often the result of excessive inventory ordering. To prevent this waste, operators must keep accurate records of food orders. Internal inspections of the kitchen’s food waste will reveal patterns of use of perishable inventory unique to the kitchen. This will allow operators to optimise orders, reuse inventory for new menu items, and avoid organic waste. A record sheet for food waste will save time, money, and stock.
Reduce Your Food Waste: Food Recovery Hierarchy
A good restaurant waste management service will use the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy to guide its practices. The hierarchy ranks different methods of preventing food waste and diverting it from landfills and incinerators. The highest levels offer the greatest benefit to society, the environment, and the economy. The lowest levels are not always possible, but many companies are willing to pay the costs for a project that will benefit their bottom line, image, and mission.
- The EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy outlines the steps to reduce food waste and increase business profits.
- The hierarchy also includes measures to reduce food scraps donated to food banks or composted.
- Using efficient purchasing and cooking methods will result in fewer food scraps
- . A restaurant waste management service will also consider the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy when recommending a food waste management service.
In addition to the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy, restaurant waste management services should also follow the protocols set by the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Challenge. These organisations can receive technical assistance and other incentives from the EPA to measure and calculate food waste reduction and reap positive environmental benefits. If you want to learn more about the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy, subscribe to the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) newsletter.
Reduce Your Food Waste: Inventory Management
Restaurants are constantly faced with numerous needs, including maintaining an accurate inventory. POSist, for example, offers the ability to schedule inventory and assign different roles to employees. This feature helps keep track of all tasks, including receiving and entering inventory. Moreover, the service will monitor the inventory levels to prevent staff from stealing raw materials. Finally, the system is designed to make inventory a priority.
The service will prioritise storing inventory for employees and ensure that inventory levels align with the amount needed. The Restaurant Inventory Management service’s cloud-based software provides restaurateurs with various data points that allow them to create reports, spot trends, and negotiate better prices. Symphony Task Manager helps restaurant operators save time by automating complex workflows. It helps users assign daily tasks to keep track of inventory levels and costs.
Additionally, the system helps restaurants track their food waste to provide insights into it. Hence, restaurateurs should consider using a service with this feature. A restaurant inventory management service should track the sitting and theoretical inventory to determine the difference. It is time to replenish your supplies if the former is higher than the latter. Proper inventory management will reduce the waste of food and increase profits.
A restaurant’s food cost is the single most significant expense in restaurant. An accurate inventory master sheet will help restaurant owners identify overspending and waste and highlight areas that can be improved. And it will also allow them to make more informed decisions about the long-term strategy for the business.
Reduce Your Food Waste: Employee handbook
Writing an employee handbook for your restaurant business waste management service is not as simple as you think. There are many legal implications, including liability, and this article does not provide legal advice. Instead, it’s meant to serve as a guide for you as you set up the policies and procedures for your restaurant. Read the following tips to write a handbook to help your staff avoid any legal pitfalls. A handbook should clearly outline how employees can access and use the various benefits offered by the company.
- A handbook should clearly outline how much time each employee can take for vacation and what is included in this time.
- If the company provides health insurance, ensure your employees understand how to enrol. If not, you should have separate insurance plans.
- It would help if you also spelt out how many annual vacation days each employee is entitled to.
- In addition to a handbook, restaurants should ensure employees wear proper clothing and equipment while working with garbage.
A handbook can also serve as a reminder for employees to reduce portion sizes of menu items. This way, they can save money while increasing their profits. However, it would help if you were not afraid to make these guidelines available to employees. Once everyone is familiar with them, your employees will be more inclined to follow them and stick to them.
Reduce Your Food Waste – Learn more about UK business waste statistics here
Other useful links from our Commercial Waste Centre
The Benefits of Dry Mixed Recycling
Looking After Your Business Bins
Commercial Skip Hire – How to Find a Cheap Deal
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