Disposing of commercial food waste presents a number of challenges that other waste materials do not, including ethics, environment and hygiene concerns – so what’s the best way to go about it?
Get the right bin
First of all, having the right food waste recycling bins in place is the best possible start. Your bins should keep food waste contained and provide sufficient capacity, without keeping biodegradable waste around for longer than necessary.
Gaskells can supply recycling bins in a range of sizes, suitable for quantities of food waste ranging from small kitchen areas right up to full-scale commercial kitchens operating around the clock.
Keep it clean
Site hygiene means keeping food waste securely contained where it cannot leak or be accessed by rodents and other pests.
All of our waste containers – including food waste recycling bins, larger dumpster-style bins and recycling containers for other types of waste – come equipped with lockable lids, so your waste materials cannot be removed overnight.
Separate it out
It is of course important to keep biodegradable food waste separate from mixed recycling and general waste, so make sure you have clear processes in place to dispose of any organic matter.
By doing so, you ensure that it does not contaminate recyclable materials, and also that you can get it collected before it starts to decompose or rot, again ensuring safety and hygiene on-site.
Minimise it
Even better than separating out and recycling food waste, is taking efforts to minimise the amount of food waste you generate in the first place.
Every year, over ten million tonnes of post-farm food is wasted in the UK, according to figures from Wrap, including over seven million tonnes from households.
In business, more than three million tonnes of food for human consumption goes to waste, including:
• Manufacture: 1.8 million tonnes.
• Hospitality and food service: 1 million tonnes.
• Retail: 260,000 tonnes.
Reducing these numbers saves on the energy and environmental impact of food production, the ethical dilemma of wasting food when some people do not have enough to eat, and the simple administrative burden of getting your food waste collected more often than necessary.
Work with Gaskells
At Gaskells we are environmentally led and can work with you to set up food waste collections that make sense for your business.
We can help you to minimise your food waste, store it safely, cleanly and securely, and offer frequent collections to take it away before it becomes a health hazard. Call us today if you require commercial food waste collections.