1. Waste Reduction for the Food Service Industry Saving Green By Going Green Kimberley Fenton Asheville Hospitality Workshop September 4, 2001

2. Waste Happens

3. PURCHASING

4. General Tips for Purchasing Purchase products that are packaged in ways that can reduce the amount of material being disposed Work out a program with your supplier to take back the shipping boxes for reuse or recycling, or to purchase and ship in durable containers

5. Paper Supplies Buy products made from recyclable materials Avoid polystyrene Buy straw type plastic or wood stir-sticks Serve straws from health-department approved dispensers Use reusable coasters instead of paper napkins

6. Janitorial & Restaurant Supplies Use reusable table linen and durable dishware Use reusable ashtrays Use roll-type paper towels in your restrooms and at hand sinks instead of pre-cut towels Use cloth cleaning towels instead of paper Use plastic trashcan liners made from recycled HDPE instead of LDPE.

7. Beverages Serve carbonated beverages from a beverage gun or dispenser rather than by the bottle or can Buy bar mixes in concentrate form rather than using ready-to-use mixes.

8. Grocery Items Purchase condiments in bulk containers Purchase cleaning supplies in concentrate Use multipurpose cleaners Use cleanable and reusable hats for kitchen employees instead of disposables

9. Grocery Items (continued) Buy meats in bulk or uncut form and cut to size Consider buying eggs shelled in bulk Pre-cool steam-table hot foods before placing them in the cooler Reuse left-over cream-based soups and sauces within 2 days Store leftover hot foods in separate containers

10. STANDARD SERVICES

11. Back of the House Develop and implement a weekly cleaning and maintenance program for all equipment Keep equipment calibrated Create incentives for staff to reduce the breakage or loss of your china, glass, silver. Place rubber mats around bus and dishwashing stations to reduce china and glass breakage

12. Back of the House (continued) Have employees use permanent-ware mugs or cups for their drinks Minimize excess use of trash bag liners by manually compacting the trash in your garbage cans and emptying only when full. Check for discarded permanent-ware (e.g. serving trays, silverware) before throwing out dining room trash

13. Front of House Distribute condiments, cutlery, and accessories from behind the counter Avoid unnecessary extra packaging at take-out Use less packaging for eat-in foods than for food being taken out, or use none at all

14. RECYCLING

15. Recycling Set up a recycling program for cans, glass, plastics and cardboard Place a recycling bin in the quick-service dining area for your customers Ensure that your containers are easily accessible Avoid contamination Train staff continuously. Use incentives.

16. Food Waste Management Rotate perishable stocks at every delivery to minimize spoilage (F.I./F.O) Scrape leftovers into a food waste container before washing and avoid sending it down the drain Contract with a rendering service to recycle used cooking oil, meat, and trap grease

17. Food Waste (continued) Donate excess edible food to a local food bank or food rescue program Donate inedible food waste to a licensed “garbage feeder” or compost it

18. Edible Food Waste Edible food waste can be donated to a local prepared and perishable food program PPFP’s provide pickup from donors on a daily, weekly, and on-call basis Provide trained staff to inspect, handle, and safely transport the food Provide liability protection to donor

19. Inedible Food Waste Inedible food waste includes spoilage, preparation waste, post-consumer food waste, food that has been “set out” Contact a commercial composting operator to pick up your inedible food waste Contact a local garbage feeder who will collect your food waste free-of-charge to feed livestock Contact a local farmer who may want to land- apply the food as a soil enhancement

20. Good Business Waste reduction leads to increased operating efficiency and cost savings

21. Customer Satisfaction Consumers have a higher perception of “environmentally conscious” businesses and are more likely to patronize them

22. Tax Benefits Donations to businesses classified as 501 ( c ) (3) [non- profits] by the IRS including a portion of the value of prepared food, may be tax deductible

23. Boosts Employee Morale Team building occurs when staff find ways to work together on projects that benefit the community. By putting lower level staff in charge of such projects, it boosts self-esteem Happy staff = less turnover

24. Helps Uncover Waste A waste assessment of your facility will help to reveal how much waste actually occurs in your day-to-day operations

25. Reduces Disposal Costs By reducing waste, businesses can reduce the size of their dumpster and/or frequency of pickups Food waste diversion specifically can help to significantly reduce your monthly solid waste costs

26. Gives Back to the Community By being a better environmental and corporate citizen, you give back to your community Food donation programs can help get edible food waste out of your trashcan and into the hands of those in your community who need it

27. Good Stewardship North Carolina is challenged in maintaining its clean waters, air, and land All N.C. citizens have a stake in preserving the environment and a responsibility to future generations to keep N.C. clean and green.

28. A Win-Win-Win Waste Solution Businesses win by reducing their purchasing and solid waste disposal costs and reaping tax benefits Communities win by reducing the waste going to landfills and by keeping a cleaner environment Charities win by obtaining food and supplies to help those most in need

29. The Green Plan for Food Services Mission: Promote and encourage development of waste reduction and recycling programs Reduce the overall amount of solid waste going to landfill Reduce food waste going to landfill by promoting food donation, composting and garbage feeding programs Reduce sanitary sewer overflows caused by oil and grease discharges

30. For More Information Visit the Green Plan website at: www.p2pays.org/food www.p2pays.org/food Contact: Kim Fenton: kim.fenton@ncmail.netkim.fenton@ncmail.net Norma Murphy: norma.murphy@ncmail.netnorma.murphy@ncmail.net Call DPPEA: (919) 715-6500 DPPEA Toll Free: (800) 763-0136