Published August 19, 2015

Waste Not, Want Not: How to Decrease Restaurant Waste

While sustainability has become a hot topic within the foodservice industry in recent years, there is still a large amount of waste that occurs in restaurants. From food scraps or leftovers being thrown in the trash instead of being composted, paper and plastic products continuously being purchased even though there is no chance of reusing them, paper towels used for drying wet hands that pile up in restaurant bathrooms, and even the lack of energy efficient products like lightbulbs all contribute to a huge amount of waste for each restaurant location, and, ultimately, our environment as a whole. But there are a few restaurants that have picked up sustainable efforts and aim to be an example for others who may not be aware of the effects that waste can have on our environment.

This post from QSR Web highlights a Missouri-based pizza chain, Crushed Red, that touts itself as being 100% waste-free. Not counting a few elements that are out of their control, such as the way food deliveries from suppliers are packaged, Crushed Red creates zero waste at their restaurant locations. They refuse to use plastic silverware or paper plates, have outfitted their restaurants with hand dryers and energy-efficient LED lights, and compost any food wasted in the kitchen or by customers. Read on for more ways this restaurant has decreased their waste.

Read the full article here: Chef Shortage Leaves Restaurants Vying for Help