“Initially it was something to adjust to,” MacIsaac says, “but it caught on so well in this area that things just always get sorted out properly now.”
However, unlike McDonald’s WRAP, MacIsaac’s restaurants have not saved money. In fact, she estimates the cost of doing things this way to be about 25 percent higher. But when you consider that the restaurants could face fines for repeated recycling violations, the program makes perfect sense, and in an area where citizens are particularly environmentally conscious, it’s important to have a green image.
“Up here it’s a toss up between McDonald’s and Tim Hortons as to who are the big contributors to the garbage problem,” MacIsaac says. “We have to be a business that steps up and is a strong force behind the recycling program to combat that stigma. In the end, when you weigh what we’re actually doing, it’s worth it.”
With more and more communities passing recycling ordinances every year, it might not be long before quick-service restaurants in the United States face the type of mandatory waste management practiced in Bridgewater. To avoid being caught off guard, it’s important to start thinking seriously right now about an aggressive waste management program.
The first step is to assess the situation through a waste audit. “[Restaurants] need to look at their waste stream, look at what their options are for reducing it,” advises Chaz Miller, director of state programs for the National Solid Waste Association based in Washington D.C.
Once the breakdown of a restaurant’s waste has been determined, it is then possible to find the most efficient ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Most of the waste in quick-service restaurants comes from behind the counter, and a lot of that can be reduced by considering waste reduction during procurement. Buy in bulk wherever possible to cut down the packaging–to–product ratio. Ask suppliers to keep you abreast of new ways to reduce packaging waste at its source.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) published an informative booklet, Food for Thought: A Restaurant Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling, which provides a number of suggestions that can apply in quick-serves. Among them: Use refillable condiment bottles rather than individually packaged servings for dine-in patrons; purchase concentrated cleaning supplies; place hot-air dryers rather than paper towels in restrooms; and get rid of Styrofoam, which takes up more than four times the space of paper during disposal.
Quick-service helped create the throw-away culture in America, but that mindset could be costing the industry millions. To cut back, opt for cloth cleaning towels that can be reused and ask employees to bring their own permanent-ware cups or mugs for their drinks, CIWMB suggests. Or why not do like Starbucks and others who offer a discount to customers who furnish their own mugs? The twofold benefit is that your restaurant cuts down on paper waste and you have a chance to sell patrons branded mugs to take advantage of the offer.