Feed Your Guests, Not Landfills: How Foodservice Operators Can Reduce Food Waste

For restaurants and other foodservice operators, reducing food waste is no longer just a sustainability goal; it’s an imperative.

Every year, over 60 million tons of food is wasted, with most of it ending up in landfills. However, foodservice operators can be part of the solution. Composting food scraps can help reduce landfill waste while creating nutrient-rich soil that benefits farmers, gardeners, and the environment.

Importantly for foodservice operators, depending on the availability and acceptance list of local compost infrastructure, food scraps and certified compostable packaging can go into the same bin. That’s why using certified compostable packaging is an effective way to support food waste diversion from landfills. Cups, containers, plates and utensils made with renewable resources that are designed to be composted can break down alongside food scraps and other organics at composting facilities.

Keep It Clean

But even certified compostable packaging is most effective when used within a system that prevents contamination from non-compostable items, such as conventional plastic cutlery, stickers, common food wrappers or other packaging.

That’s because most composters have an extremely limited ability to deal with contamination once it arrives at their facilities. So, it’s up to restaurants and other foodservice operators to implement controls to keep the compost stream clean from contamination.

Eco-Products launched an open-source program called the CIRC Contamination Mitigation Program to help foodservice operators tackle this challenge head-on. CIRC (Controls Intended to Remove Contamination) is designed to verify that foodservice operations are taking meaningful steps to prevent contamination before waste ever reaches the composting facility.

The scorecard provides composters with confidence that the waste stream from a participating venue will be free of contaminants. Importantly, CIRC is accessible to all foodservice operations, not just Eco-Products customers.

Simple Steps toward Zero Waste

If you’re a foodservice operator, your operation can make real progress toward Zero Waste with a few smart steps. Here’s how to get started:

• Choose certified compostable packaging that meets established industry standards for compostability at commercial composters. These standards are maintained by organizations such as the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), ASTM International, and the Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA).
• Ensure your packaging is accepted by your local composting facility. (If commercial composting isn’t available in your area, compostable products still offer environmental benefits since they are primarily made with renewable resources.)
• Make composting easy at your location. Provide composting bins in convenient locations, clearly marked to accept both food scraps and certified compostable packaging like plates, cups, utensils and wrappers.
• Educate both your team and your guests. Clear signage, staff training and product labeling help ensure items end up in the right bins, reducing contamination and boosting your sustainability success.
• Verify your efforts with tools like the CIRC scorecard. It’s a practical way to confirm your front- and back-of-house systems are working, and to build confidence with composters and haulers.
• Get free help from the experts. Eco-Products’ team of Product & Zero Waste Specialists can help you create and implement a customized plan that fits your operation and sustainability goals.

Good for your Business and your Community

One final note: Reducing food waste isn’t just about composting food scraps; it’s also about ensuring that surplus, edible food reaches people who need it. Many foodservice operations successfully partner with local food banks, shelters, and nonprofit groups to donate leftover meals or ingredients. These programs not only cut waste but also help the hungry and strengthen connections with the community.

To sum it up, reducing food waste is one of the biggest opportunities for the foodservice industry to make a positive impact on the world. But to succeed, the effort must be approached as a whole-system solution. That includes offering certified compostable packaging, implementing contamination controls like CIRC, and finding ways to ensure surplus edible food is redirected to those in need.

Learn more about how we can help you put your waste to work here.