Four Steps to Manage Restaurant Waste

Waste management is one of the challenges affecting the restaurant industry.  Research from the University of Arizona shows that fast-food restaurants waste 9.55 percent, while full-service restaurants waste 11.3 percent on average.Considering that the cost of food is the second-largest expense in the restaurant industry, these numbers translate to hundreds of dollars in wasted revenue each day. But costs aren't the only problem here; more waste means more hauling fees, landfill fees, increased equipment costs, and more.

Another statistic from the Environmental Protection Agency show that single-use items, containers, and packaging waste alone contribute over 23 percent of the material reaching landfills in the U.S. Even worse, this problem has been amplified by the increased demand for takeout and delivery during the pandemic.   

Best-in-class restaurants are now responding to this challenge: working with consultants and waste management companies to rethink their waste…