Express ProductsOn average the UK throws away 10 million tonnes of food waste every year*. About 80 thousand tonnes of which comes from hotels, at a cost of £318 million each year. The amount of avoidable cost to a hotel business is around £0.52 per meal, this can help you work out how much money you could help your business save**.
We know that your plates usually come back clean but some types of food waste is inevitable such as egg shells, tea bags, bones and fruit peels. But did you know that this waste can also be recycled and help the business save money on landfill tax?
Where the food waste is coming from?
Even the most efficiently managed kitchens will encounter food waste and it comes from a variety of sources. Understanding the source of your food waste is an important step in managing it, WRAP states that the majority of food waste in hotels comes from preparation*.
To make sure that the food waste left from preparation ends up in a recycling plant for composting we recommend using a dedicated food waste bin such as our:
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How can food waste be recycled?
There are two main processes used when it comes to recycling food waste, "in-vessel composting" or "anaerobic digestion" both of which have different products.
In-vessel composting
Most people are familiar with the term composting, where organic substances are mixed together to decay with the goal of creating fertilizing soil. In-vessel composting is essentially this, just in a more controlled and enclosed environment where all the moisture and warmth levels are monitored. This process usually takes about 10 weeks, the first 2-4 weeks are spent inside an enclosed compost pile then it is left to mature for 6-7 weeks after.
Anaerobic Digestion
Again anaerobic digestion is done in an enclosed environment however, as the name suggests, this is done with the absence of oxygen. Thus creating biogas, a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane, it can be used for heating, electricity and transport. The process also creates nutrient-rich fertiliser for use in farming.
What can we do about it?
Food waste is an issue that more and more businesses are becoming involved with. Enabling them to potentially save their business money and have a positive effect on the environment. There is scope for improvement too, as statistics show that on average hotels currently recycle 43% of their food waste.
- Firstly track your food waste, understand where it is coming from and make reductions where possible. This will stop some of the waste being created in the first place and reduce business costs. Glasdon can help you with this as we provide a free waste audit, where we will visit your business and provide you with professional waste management and recycling advice for absolutely nothing.
- Collect all other food waste in a dedicated recycling container (like our Nexus Shuttle). Then send this waste to a specialist recycling plant for either anaerobic digestion or in-vessel composting.
- Finally make sure you track all of your progress and make adjustments over time to develop your very own, highly efficient, food waste recycling programme.
Get your free waste audit today
If you would like free, professional advice on waste management and recycling please get in touch with us today. You can call us on 01253 600410 or email enquiries@glasdon-uk.co.uk alternatively you can use the Live Chat feature at the bottom of this page.
Request a Free Waste Management Audit*www.wrap.org.uk
**www.greenhotelier.org
