Top 7 Ways to Make Your Eatery More Eco-Friendly
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With the climate crisis on the minds of many consumers nowadays, it is down to businesses to evolve their processes in order to cater to a more eco-conscious green living crowd.
Going green might sound intimidating, but it is a forward-thinking initiative that can help you attract more customers and improve your sales.
Not to mention, running a business with green values is not only good for the environment, but you will also feel better knowing that you are doing your bit for the world.
Here are seven effective ways to make your eatery more eco-friendly.
1. Create an Energy-Efficient Environment
In today’s world, it isn’t only consumers who are experiencing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. It is affecting business owners too. Using energy-efficient light bulbs, switching off unused equipment, and installing low-flush toilets are all great ways to save money while creating an energy-efficient environment.
By investing in energy-efficient appliances, you can also reduce your energy usage. This type of equipment is designed to use less energy, which means your business can benefit from reduced energy consumption. Make sure your equipment is maintained regularly to ensure everything runs efficiently.
2. Choose Recyclable Food Packaging
If you offer takeout, make sure you choose food packaging that can be easily recycled. Across the globe, food packaging makes up a large percentage of waste. By providing your takeout options in recyclable food packaging, you can significantly impact the world you live in.
All Envior packaging is either recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable; Envior packaging specialises in food packaging and offers a huge range of eco-friendly hot food and cold food containers, cups, and other green packaging products.
3. Be Mindful About Your Materials
In addition to using recyclable food packaging for your takeout options, be mindful of the materials you use in your eatery. Polystyrene is a type of plastic that is commonly used in takeaways and restaurants that offer takeout, but this type of packaging can take up to 500 years to decompose.
Steer clear of polystyrene and choose sustainable alternatives, such as wood, bamboo, and bagasse. Bagasse is compostable, biodegradable, and a much more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. It is made from fibrous sugarcane pulp and can be moulded to create different types of shapes. It is the ideal material for packaged food as it can withstand hot and cold temperatures, is microwave-safe, and is water-resistant.
4. Offer a Seasonal Menu
A seasonal menu not only makes your eatery more exciting to customers, but it is also a great way to give back to the local community. Sourcing seasonal ingredients from local sources, such as from markets and directly from farmers in your area, will ensure you are buying the freshest ingredients to create your dishes.
A seasonal menu is a sustainable way to add interest to your food while reducing the need to have your ingredients shipped from thousands of miles away. Not to mention, using local produce can also reduce waste. In turn, your food costs are lowered too.
5. Mindful Waste Disposal
No restaurant owner enjoys throwing away food. Fortunately, you can put processes in place to ensure your business disposes of its waste mindfully. Put a recycling system in place and enforce a green policy for your staff. This type of system often involves different bins for different types of waste.
You can also introduce on-site composting or composting your waste using haul-away services. However, if you mindfully dispose of your waste, ensure your employees follow the rules and procedures properly. In addition to this, you can provide sorting bins in your eatery to give your customers the chance to do their bit too.
6. Use Water Efficiently
is something everyone should be thinking about. It is a valuable, finite resource that directly affects the world around you. As a business owner, there are many ways you can conserve water effectively.
This includes running the dishwasher when it is full, using low flow taps, installing waterless urinals, and providing water to customers on request. Not only will water conservation help protect your local surroundings, but it will also reduce the cost of your water bill.
7. Opt for Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Did you know that certain cleaning products can contain a high amount of chemicals that can be incredibly toxic to the environment? When using these products, your eatery is washing these chemicals down the drain. In turn, these harmful substances make their way into the ocean and can have a terrible effect on marine life.
When purchasing cleaning products, make sure you are making earth-friendly choices. Choose products that contain low amounts of flammable ingredients and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as these ingredients do not easily break down. Look out for soluble and biodegradable products.
With these 7 straightforward green tips, you should be able to get your eatery up to scratch with the latest eco trends.
