Key areas for environmentalinitiatives are reductions of:

• waste generation

• water consumption

• energy consumption

The average UK restaurant disposesof over 100 tonnes/year of waste,75% of which is recyclable (46%paper and/or cardboard, 23%mixed waste food and 6% plastics).The majority of restaurants stilldispose of this waste in generalwaste collections(www.environment-agency.gov.uk/apps/wastesurvey1/).

If the average restaurant separatedthis recyclable waste and altered itsgeneral waste collection schedule, itcould cut 30% off its wastecollection costs and, typically,prevent over 75 tonnes of wastebeing sent to landfill each year. Thiswaste would fill almost sevendouble-decker buses each year.

TIPS TO REDUCE WASTE

• Understand the types andamounts of waste you create.The easiest way is to separateyour waste into different bins, forexample, paper, plastic, food, etc.

• Keep a record of the volumes ofwaste you generate. This allowsyou to measure theimprovements you make, andalso to make better businessdecisions on waste reductionoptions for the future.

FOOD WASTEThe regulations surrounding cateringwaste disposal in the UK havechanged in recent years(www.defra.gov.uk).

Catering waste is defined as ‘allwaste food including used cookingoil originating in restaurants,catering facilities and kitchens,including central kitchens andhousehold kitchens’.

Catering waste must not be fed tofarmed animals.

Catering waste must be disposed ofcorrectly through:

• licensed landfill sites;

• approved composting plants;

• approved biogas plants;

• incineration plants;

• approved rendering plants.

Waste cooking oils should not be:

• poured down the drain;

• disposed of at a householdrecycling centre;

• used as an ingredient in animalfeed;

• sent to landfill.

Envirowise Advice Line 0800 585794 | www.envirowise.gov.uk

FOOD PREPARATION

fact sheet EN79

6

This fact sheet is aimed at restaurants, gastro pub landlords, hotel food and beveragemanagers, chefs and contract caterers. It provides ways in which those responsible forfood preparation can reduce their environmental impact.

WASTE

COMPOSTINGIf your premises have a garden orsuitable area, consider compostingraw vegetable food scraps(including eggshells and tea bags).The benefits include:

• a reduction in waste;

• when applied to soil, it will:

– provide valuable nutrients;

– reduce the rate at which itdries out in warmer months.

Considerations:

• ensure that the composter isenclosed and vermin-proof;

• do not compost meat (raw orprocessed);

• place a small amount ofcardboard or newspaper insidethe composter (especially if thecompost is wet) - it generates airpockets to aid breakdown of thematerial, reduces odour anddiscourages fruit flies;

• aerate regularly by turning thecontents with a garden fork.

Further information is available fromThe Composting Association(www.compost.org.uk) and RecycleNow (www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/welcome.html).

FOOD DELIVERIES

• Rationalise deliveries to reducevehicle movements onto site.

• Support local food suppliers topromote local delicacies andreduce food miles. Request thatproduce is delivered in returnablecrates to reduce packaging.

• Develop menus around seasonalproduce, to reduce food airmiles.

• For national contracts, ask yoursuppliers if there is any way theycan reduce the amount ofpackaging you receive - wherepossible, purchase food andcleaning chemicals in bulkreturnable containers.

TABLE SERVICE

• Where possible, replaceindividual portions/sachets withtamper-proof pump dispensers,pourers and shakers to reducewaste and avoid contamination.

• Only provide food such as saladgarnish, butter portions andtoast on request rather than asstandard. Similarly, when guestsorder coffee or tea, ask whethera pot or one serving is requiredto reduce raw materials, wasteand, often, washing up.

• Use a printed menu for standardfare and a specials board toreduce the need for regularreprinting.

• Print menus on recyclablematerial rather than laminates.

As with waste, keep track of howmuch water your business usesover time, this will allow you toconvert the changes you make into£ saved.

To allow you to compare your wateruse with other businesses, youshould convert your water use to a

Key Performance Indicator (KPI).Suitable KPIs include:

KPI litres per cover (total wateruse divided by the totalnumber of covers over a setperiod)

KPI litres per staff member perday (total water use dividedby the number of full-timestaff days worked over a setperiod)

Using more than one KPI will allowyou to gain a better understandingof business performance, forexample, only using staff numbersmay not take into account howbusy you were over the period.

TIPS TO SAVE WATER

• A running tap used to wash foodcan use as much as 20 litres perminute. Instead, fill up a sink towash the vegetables.

• At the end of service, scrape andspray wash plates before they goin the dishwasher - you can usea shorter cycle at a lowertemperature and use lessdetergents.

• Only use dishwashers when fullyloaded; this reduces the amountof chemicals, water and energyused.

Envirowise Advice Line 0800 585794 | www.envirowise.gov.uk

WATER

FOOD PREPARATION

Envirowise Advice Line 0800 585794 | www.envirowise.gov.uk

• Improve scheduling by leavingfoods to defrost overnight in therefrigerator instead of usingrunning water to defrost food.

• Install aerators on taps - thesecan save a large percentage ofthe total water use.

• If you have a food wastedisposal channel, make sure it isoperated only when necessary,using a foot-activated fitting or asensor.

• Purchase kitchen equipment withlow energy and water use, andhigher efficiency ratings.

TRY IT:Read the water meter at the endof one day and the beginning ofthe next. If there is a differencebetween the readings thenurinals may be flushing out ofhours or there may be a leak.

Further information can be found inthe Envirowise leaflet EN660,Reducing water use in cateringestablishments(www.envirowise.gov.uk).

Energy accounts for a largeproportion of a kitchen’s overheads- typical uses include:

• hotplates and ovens;

• dishwashing;

• refrigeration;

• air extraction.

Make sure staff are aware of thetime taken to bring equipment to therequired temperature. In kitchens,hotplates and ovens are often turnedon as a matter of course and beforethey are required, meaning that theyuse excess energy.

A gas hob should always be turnedoff in between uses, even if only fora few minutes. Leaving it on is theequivalent of leaving a tap on whilewater goes down the drain.

TRY IT:Place signs on equipment thatstate how long an item takes toreach temperature.

• Extraction fans are important inmaintaining a satisfactory workenvironment. Make sure thatfilters are cleaned regularly toincrease the efficiency of theextraction system.

• Keep cool room doors closedwhere possible. Any heat thatenters the cool room when thedoors are opened makes thesystem work harder.

• It may be possible to experimentwith the temperature setting ofyour dishwasher. Find theminimum temperature thatprovides satisfactory service. Youmay be able to increase washperformance by rinsing platesbefore washes, but don’t do itusing a continuously running tap.

• Use equipment that is a suitablesize. The energy required to heatup a small oven is much less, sochoose the smallest appliancesuited to the task.

• Boil only the amount of waterthat you need and keep lids onboiling food as this drasticallyreduces the energy requirementsand keeps flavours in. Keepingsteam trapped also helps tokeep down the heat of thekitchen.

• Make sure you are using theappropriate element for the potsor pans - having a flameprotrude beyond the edge of thepot is inefficient and dangerous,as it will heat the kitchen air andcan cause the handle to becomeexcessively hot.

TRY IT:Keep glass oven doors clean -opening the door to check thefood allows heat to escape.

fact sheetENERGY

FURTHER INFORMATION

Other fact sheets in this series include:

EN794 General hospitalityEN795 Drinks serviceEN797 Sports facilitiesEN798 Guest room facilitiesEN799 Green procurement and the supply chainEN800 Gardens and grounds maintenanceEN801 Assessment form for hotel roomsEN802 Self-assessment form for the

hospitality industry

Harwell | Didcot | Oxfordshire | OX11 0QJ | E advice@envirowise.gov.uk www.envirowise.gov.uk

Envirowise - sustainable practices, sustainable profits. Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of businesspractice. It is managed by AEA Technology plc and Serco TTI. Envirowise is funded in England by Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Programme and supported byBERR; the Scottish Government in Scotland; the Welsh Assembly Government’s Materials Action Programme (MAP) in Wales; and Invest Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.

© Crown copyright. First printed March 2008. Printed on paper containing 80% recycled post-consumer fibre.

This material may be freely reproduced in its original form except for sale or advertising purposes.

Check the websites below for furtherideas on how your business can reduceits impact on the environment and savemoney.

www.envirowise.gov.uk

www.carbontrust.co.uk

www.defra.gov.uk

www.waterwise.org.uk

www.eca-water.gov.uk