In this blog, we want to start suggesting ways to move forward in a more circular way of operating, with hospitality contributing to 8% of greenhouse gases worldwide & 17.6% ($6.4 billion) of food waste in Australia (FIAL 2021). We urgently need to reduce our impact and fight the waste epidemic.
Currently, the food system and our operations are working using a linear model, “take, make & waste” This system is unsustainable and results in high amounts of waste ending up in landfills.
Graph Credit:- Research Gate Thibaut Wautelet
As an industry, we are working towards having a more sustainable operational model; one way to approach this is a circular model.
The principle of a circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves: –
- Sharing
- leasing
- reusing, repairing
- refurbishing
- recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
- Circular supply chains
- Closed – Loop systems
The overarching principle is to reduce waste to a minimum,
Photo Credit: MDPI Franco Fassio and Nadia Tecco
An example of a circular system is:-
Toast Brewing in the UK takes surplus bread from bakeries and supermarkets and turns it into beer by buying excess bakery bread and using it to replace 25% of the malted barley in all their beers. (did you know 44% of all bread is wasted).
How to make your food service operations more circular:
Reducing Waste can be done by
- A robust menu design focuses on the turnover of products and the utilisation of the whole product throughout the menu.
- Auditing your waste regularly, choosing the highest wasted item, and working ways either inside your business or within the local community to reuse or recycle. (Audit all your waste streams, not solely food – Cardboard, packaging, plastic, food, paper and chux cloth)
- RRR – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
- Work with neighbouring restaurants and create a food recovery pick-up point, where food can be picked up from local homeless shelters, etc., to be repurposed.
Creating a closed-loop system for any food waste
- Ensuring any food waste is collected correctly to be repurposed into fertiliser for farms or other purposes. Some businesses that do this exceptionally well are Cirque du Soil (Melbourne) & Mallow Sustainability (Brisbane), Which we discuss sharing. Could you share the waste pick-up cost with your restaurant next door? – Circular economy
- Creating a shorter food miles procurement method (locally sourcing)
Equipment and Maintenance
- Ensure equipment is regularly maintained to ensure longevity and energy efficiency (this can work hand in hand with your HACCP plan.
- Ensure taps and steamers are water-efficient
Policy and Procedure
- Like anything else in your business, your sustainable practices or practices towards a more circular model should be documented in your business policies and procedures.
- Ensure your team training plans reflect your procedures and teams are regularly trained in the updated processes.
The key to creating change is to START, audit, or observe your waste. Pick one item that is your highest contributor to your waste within your operation and find a way to reuse that in another part of your menu or recycle it for another purpose, and you are on your way to a more circular system; it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Small changes consistently will create a shift in behavior and a sustainable step forward to a circular food system.
