Zero Waste - 3 Sustainable Tactics Your Restaurant Should Use

An organization I am associated with has helped hundreds of restaurants over the past few years push toward zero waste -- a philosophy that encourages the reconstruction of product life cycles so that all products are reused or recycled.

Food service businesses pushing toward zero waste focus on minimizing their waste as much as possible and then diverting any remaining waste toward recycling & composting environments. To accomplish this, I've seen these food oriented businesses incorporate 3 important strategies:

1) Removing Non Recyclable And Non Compostable Waste - I have seen a variety of our generations green bistros and cafes successfully eliminate all waste that can't be composted or recycled. For outbound packaging supplies (the ones used by customers), numerous businesses have started using biodegradable food packaging (e.g., biodegradable coffee cups, compostable plates, biodegradable utensils, biodegradable containers). Note: Businesses should make sure that any item labeled "biodegradable" meets ASTM D-6400 for compostability in a commercial composting facility. Inbound materials are a bit tougher to control (e.g., it is tougher to make sure that your supplier doesn't wrap your produce with cellophane), but nonetheless quite a few restaurants are asking suppliers to avoid using packaging which is tough to recycle (e.g., polystyrene).

2) Doing Away With their Trash Bins - I've seen a number of green minded restaurant owners we work with eliminate or substantially decrease the size of their trash can. This appears to be a very powerful strategy so long as you have already implemented tactic #1 and reduced a majority of your plastic packaging to items like biodegradable coffee cups and compostable plates. By eliminating your trash can, you effectively force customers to stop and think before throwing away their food & packaging waste into a composting or recycling bin; and when combined with compelling recycling & composting signs, this can be a very powerful tactic for getting consumers to self-sort their recyclables & compostables.

3) Educating The Employees - I've found that restaurants that are the best at getting to zero waste take significant effort to educate their employees on effective recycling techniques, composting techniques, and the use of reusable goods. Training is key when dealing with customer questions (e.g., which bin does this fork belong in?) and for the sorting of waste that has been left on countertops or in the kitchen. Additionally, having a staff that is excited about a business' transition toward zero waste will go a long way toward cementing that sentiment into a restaurants' culture and the minds of its customers.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the sustainable steps being taken by restaurants & cafes. Best of luck on your eco-minded journey!