Straws Are Just the Beginning: 5 Tips To Be An Eco-Friendly Restaurant

As people become more aware of environmental issues, restaurants are looking for ways to make their establishments greener and more eco-friendly. For example, there’s been a lot of news recently about abolishing straws to reduce plastic waste. While this is a good place to start, there are also many other things you can do. The following are five ways to make your restaurant more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Five Best Practices for Eco-Friendly Restaurants

 

1. Minimize Food Waste

Definitely a First World Problem. Food waste removal isn’t just costly, but potentially tone-deaf in today’s social climate, especially as our homeless population climbs.

Eco-Friendly Restaurant Best Practice: Track the amount of perishable food you buy and sell to spot inefficiencies and keep food budgets more realistic. Use digital inventory tools to help you plan more effectively, and donate extra food to a local homeless shelter or food pantry.

2. Reuse and Recycle Everyday Items

Your eco-friendly restaurant is probably already recycling, but are you throwing out single-use food containers?

Eco-Friendly Restaurant Best Practice: Encourage takeout customers to bring in their own reusable, refillable containers. Promote this fun concept publicly, offer incentives to promote it, and publicly recognize customer participation as part of your restaurant’s commitment to be environmentally conscious. Also reuse and recycle crates, boxes and storage containers as much as possible. You’ll save money and reduce waste.

3. Use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Supplies

Commercial cleaning products often contain harsh chemicals. Using green cleaning products isn’t just eco-friendly. It may also keep your employees and customers healthier, while preventing unappetizing chemical odors from invading your dining area.

Eco-Friendly Restaurant Best Practice: Use green, organic, environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies whenever possible. If you outsource cleaning, look for a company that specializes in green cleaning practices.

4. Save Energy and Conserve Resources

Use energy-efficient best practices to conserve the amount of energy required to power your restaurant’s lights, heating, air conditioning and kitchen equipment.

Eco-Friendly Restaurant Best Practice: Use eco-friendly light bulbs. Keep temperatures comfortable, but don’t overdo it. Use a smart thermostat that regulates restaurant temps, whether you’re open or closed. Conserve water by installing water-saving toilets. Consider switching to solar panels to heat water for your restaurant. These and other energy-saving tactics all add up to make your business more energy efficient.

5. Use Eco-Friendly Recycled Plastic Restaurant Furniture

Reduce waste by using recycled, recyclable materials to furnish your restaurant.

Eco-Friendly Restaurant Best Practice: Look for eco-friendly furniture and décor. Recycled plastic waste receptacles are cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and can be molded into different forms several times over their lifespan.

These are some of the best ways to make sure you’re running an eco-friendly restaurant. The more you pay attention to your everyday practices, the more ways you’ll come up with to conserve resources and reduce waste.

Durable HDPE plastics won’t rust or rot, ensuring years of use and less waste as reuseable plastics are kept out of the landfill. Even floor mats can be made from recyclable materials.

For more information about brandable eco-friendly restaurant furniture and outdoor furnishings for food service, including recycling containers, condiment stations, beverage stations, busser stations, outdoor hostess podiums and commercial outdoor portable bars, call 1-866-456-7483 or contact us.