Food Service Waste Reduction Tips
and Ideas
Restaurants, fast food establishments, and cafeterias can do a lot
to minimize or reduce potential cost increases by incorporating
simple waste prevention and recycling programs and procedures that
will eliminate much of the waste that is thrown away. With proper
purchasing and handling, and careful preparation and storage, food
service establishments can help reduce waste and save money! Your
restaurant may already be using many of these ideas to reduce costs
as well as waste. Try a few new suggestions, see how they work, and
then continue to expand your waste reduction program.
Beverages
Serve beverages from a beverage gun or dispenser, buy bar mixes in
concentrate form, and buy milk in 5-gallon dispenser boxes. Grocery Items
Use health department-approved, refillable condiment dispensers
instead of individual packets. Buy shelf-stable food supplies in
bulk when sales volume and storage space allows.
Consider buying your lettuce precut during those times of the year
when the pre-cut cost is equal to (or less than) the cost of the
bulk product.
Buy meats in bulk or uncut form and cut to size.
Consider buying shelled eggs, in bulk, if your egg usage for general
cooking or baking is three or more cases per week. Produce Handling and Storage
Donate unserved food to a local food bank.
Check your produce deliveries carefully for rotten or damaged
product, and return any substandard product.
Rotate perishable stock at every delivery to minimize waste due to
spoilage.
Clean coolers and freezers regularly to ensure that food has not
fallen behind the shelving and spoiled.
Arrange your refrigerated and dry storage areas to facilitate easy
product access and rotation.
Store raw vegetables and other perishables in reusable airtight
containers to prevent unnecessary dehydration and spoilage.
Rehydrate vegetables (e.g., celery, lettuce, carrots, broccoli,
etc.) that have wilted by trimming off the very bottom part of the
stalk and immersing in warm water (100°F.) for 15 to 20 minutes.
Food Preparation and Storage
Adjust inventory levels on perishables to reduce waste due to
spoilage or dehydration.
Use hourly or daily production charts to minimize over prepping and
unnecessary waste.
Whenever possible, prepare foods to order.
When prepping food, only trim off what is not needed.
Use vegetable and meat trimmings for soup stock.
Adjust the size of meal portions if you find they are consistently
being returned unfinished.
Pre-cool hot foods (in an ice bath) before refrigerating.
Reuse leftover foods that have been stored at proper temperature
within two days of preparation to prevent waste due to spoilage.
Store leftover hot foods from different stations in separate
containers to reduce the chance of spoilage.
Wrap freezer products tightly, label, and date them. Make sure they
are used in a timely fashion, to minimize waste due to freezer burn.
Purchasing
Ask your suppliers take back shipping boxes for reuse or recycling
and to keep you informed about new and existing products that are
packaged in ways which can reduce waste.
Always consider durability as a cost criterion when buying equipment
and janitorial supplies. Paper Supplies
Purchase paper products made from recycled materials.
Use reusable coasters (or nothing at all) instead of paper napkins
when serving beverages from the bar.
Store and handle unwrapped paper supplies to prevent the products
from inadvertently falling on the floor. Janitorial and Restaurant Supplies
Use reusable table linen and dinnerware.
Use cloth towels for cleaning, rather than the paper equivalents.
Use plastic trash can liners made of recycled HDPE instead of ones
made of LDPE or LLDPE. They contain less raw material, work equally
well for most uses, and generally cost less.
Purchase cleaning supplies in concentrate form.
Use multipurpose cleaners that can be used for all types of surfaces
rather than cleaners that are job specific. Whenever possible, use
cleaning agents that are less hazardous or non-hazardous.
Use reusable hats for kitchen employees instead of disposable paper
ones. Production and Service Areas
Implement a monthly cleaning and maintenance program for all your
equipment.
Keep refrigeration in good running order to prevent unnecessary
spoilage and reduce energy costs.
Check the syrup-to-water calibration on beverage dispensers
regularly.
Keep oven equipment calibrated to prevent over baking.
Clean fryers and filter the oil daily. Use a test kit to determine
when to change fryer oil. Back-of-the-House
Create incentives for staff to reduce breakage of china and glass.
Place rubber mats around bus and dish washing stations to reduce
china and glass breakage.
Have employees use permanent-ware mugs or cups for their drinks.
Check for discarded trays and flatware before throwing out dining
room trash. Front-of-the-House
Distribute condiments from behind the counter instead of offering
self-service.
Use straw-style stir sticks for bar beverages instead of the solid
style.
Serve straws from health department-approved dispensers rather than
pre-wrapped, and offer only one straw per drink.
Use serving containers in sizes that meet the packaging needs of
your menu items without having excess packaging material.
Minimize the use of unnecessary extra packaging of take-out foods.
Use less packaging for eat-in foods than for food being taken out,
or use none at all.
Offer customers a discount if they bring their own mugs, containers,
or bags. Recycling Activities
Set up a rendering service for your waste grease, fat, or used
cooking oil.
Set up a recycling program with one of your local collectors (e.g.
cardboard, glass).
If you serve beverages in cans or bottles, place a recycling bin in
the dining area for your customers' empty beverage containers.
Donate empty plastic pails or buckets to schools, nurseries,
churches, customers, or employees. Donate old uniforms to thrift
shops. Ask Your Employees
Don't forget to ask your staff for their input and assistance on
what can be done to reduce waste. Reward them for good ideas.
Including employees in the decision-making process will help ensure
participation in your efforts to reduce waste, and will result in
higher productivity, better morale, and lower costs.
Tell Your Customers
Educate customers and advertise your waste reduction program by
posting signs highlighting your efforts. Offer customers a discount
if they bring their own mugs, containers, or bags.
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