Restaurant sustainability practices can help restaurants of all sizes limit their impact on the environment. There is increasing awareness around the importance of eco-friendly approaches in the food-service industry and how they can play a big part in improving the planet. Customers have also picked up on environmental issues and reward the businesses doing what they can to improve the planet.
Here are a few restaurant sustainability practices that you can implement at your business.
Minimize Food Waste
Limiting the amount of food waste coming from your restaurant is a big way to make it more sustainable. Monitoring expiration dates of perishable items closely and making sure to use them first using the FIFO (first in, first out) system is the most practical way to ensure as little food as possible is wasted. You can also consider offering daily specials, adding seasonal items to the menu, or donating surplus food to shelters if you still have extra ingredients.
Utilize Eco-friendly Packaging
Packaging plays an important role in restaurant sustainability because it creates a lot of trash. Restaurants can ditch plastic bags and offer 1 of 3 more sustainable options for customers including biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable packaging. Biodegradable packaging is single-use and will break down naturally in a few weeks – months. Recyclable packaging is also single-use but needs to be sent to a recycling center before it is repurposed into something else. Recyclable packaging requires separate bins for customers/staff to dispose of containers so enough space will be required. Lastly, reusable packaging is a container that can be used multiple times and doesn’t need to be thrown away.
Offer Healthy Menu Options
Adding healthy options to your menu like locally sourced produce and offering dairy replacements will help attract customers looking for a better diet and lower your carbon footprint. Prioritizing organic options for popular menu items is another way you can bring a sustainable practice to your kitchen.
Recycle Used Cooking Oil
A significant amount of cooking oil is used each day in a restaurant kitchen so recycling it presents another way to increase sustainability. Many restaurants recycle used oil with a Used Cooking Oil Collection service like EcoOil Recycling. Regular pickups can be scheduled where the oil is collected, filtered to get rid of impurities, and then processed to be converted to renewable fuel.
Taking the time to implement some restaurant sustainability practices might not always be easy but they’re designed to help you start running a more eco-friendly business. Putting them in place one at a time is often a good way to start seeing improvements and seeing how your restaurant can make a difference.
