Every single day, restaurants all across the country create a ridiculously large amount of waste. In fact, studies have shown that, in the course of a day, almost 50 million pounds of food are wasted at full-service restaurants, while more than 85 million pounds of food are wasted at fast-food restaurants. When you couple that with all of the drink cups, Styrofoam boxes, and paper products that are thrown out at restaurants, it’s not hard to see why landfills are filling up at an alarming rate. If you own a restaurant, you can help put a stop to this problem by doing better waste management and by offering customers recycling bins in Atlanta. Here are some tips for limiting the amount of waste you create.
Find Ways to Cut Back on the Amount of Food You Waste
Do your customers have trouble finishing most of your restaurant’s meals? If so, you may be offering them portions that are simply too large for them to finish. By offering smaller portions, you can cut the cost of your meals, reduce the amount of food you throw out, and eliminate the need for take-home containers that are not good for the environment. You can also trim your waste management costs when you create less waste overall.
Provide Recycling Bins If You Sell Products That Can Be Recycled
If you sell plastic water bottles or metal soda cans in your restaurant, you should set out recycling bins for your customers to use and call attention to them so that they recycle these kinds of products. Plastic and metal shouldn’t be discarded with your regular trash. By providing recycling bins, you will do your part to reduce the waste that you send to a landfill.
Offer Incentives to Customers Who Help Reduce Waste
Some restaurants have gotten creative in order to do better waste management. For example, certain coffee shops offer discounts to customers who bring their own reusable cups. This is a great way for businesses to entice their customers to help them along during the journey to sustainability.
