What a time to be alive.
The world is waking up to the little changes that we can make in our everyday lives to ensure a happier planet, a healthier planet, a planet we are proud to pass on to our grandchildren. Banning single-use plastics, selling ‘wonky’ vegetables, reducing carbon footprints; everybody, individual to big business, is having a serious think about how they can best do their bit.
But what of the tasty bastions of hospitality that, historically, have not been the most ecologically sound of propositions? Well, the truth is, restaurants don’t have to be environmentally unfriendly and there have been plenty of sustainable yet successful eateries in recent years to prove it.
Cutting down energy usage, removing plastic straws, minimising carbon mileage, and adding more vegan/vegetarian options have all been viable tools for these businesses alongside cutting down on food waste- this last one is a big one for the restaurant trade.
It’s estimated by the UN that one-third of all food ends up as waste before even hitting the table which feels a bit like doing your food shopping and throwing a third of it straight into the bin. This food waste is also contributing around 10% of the Global Greenhouse Emission; as far as climate change goes, this is obviously not ideal.
Closing the loop is one way to ensure that your restaurant is contributing as little to that gargantuan weight of waste as possible, bringing down those greenhouse emissions and generally just getting to feel pretty good about yourself.
That wasteful linear world where we make what we need and dispose of it is not viable anymore. In a nutshell, closed-loop means that once something is created, it will be recycled and turned into something new- a full circle without a negative impact. This can be a way of giving new life to aluminium or plastic but is just as handy for helping your kitchen and restaurant cut down on food wastage.
But where to start?
Silo, inspired by Australian artist Joost Bakker, is the UK’s first fully zero-waste restaurant- a temple of pre-industrial food systems that was designed with closing the loop in mind. From wine bottles turned into crockery, milling flour, upcycling furniture to making lampshades from the fungus grown on used grains, Silo is a pioneer when it comes to doing things differently in a hospitality setting. However, not all restaurants have space for or can afford an aerobic digester that can ‘generate up to 60kg of compost in just 24 hours’.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do your part. Here for your delectation are 4 relatively simple processes you can put in place at your site if taking steps to close the loop is of interest-
Delivery Methods-
If you’re working with sustainably-minded suppliers, this should be a fairly easy thing to implement. By choosing ingredients that produce less waste and making sure the delivery vessels are reusable so you’re not binning heaps of plastic every single day, you are adding one of the most effective mantras to your personal closed-loop philosophy. Nolla in Helsinki avoids any potential issues here by supplying the suppliers with their own reusable crates… which is certainly one surefire way to do it!
Nose-To-Tail cooking-
Since Fergus Henderson opened St John and brought the delights of offal back to the Brits in 1994, nose-to-tail has been a byword for sustainable eating. Of course, in the context of food wastage, the idea of making use of every part of the animal is integral for closing the loop; you can utilise some of the tastiest parts like bone marrow, belly and organ meats and even have a massive impact on your food costs. 66% of millennials are even prepared to pay more for this kind of sustainable eating so it’s even good for profits. Everyone’s a winner!
As bizarre as it sounds, this oft-touted descriptor of nose-to-tail eating can even be meat-free; just make use of the parts of vegetables you’d usually throw away, be it a pesto made from carrot tops or pasta dishes with turnip tops. You can even make your own fantastic condiments from the odds and ends that usually find their home in the bin.
Composting-
From Morocco’s Helle Campana to Berlin’s Frea, restaurants around the world are turning to composting as a way to close the loop- this can even be sent back to suppliers to use on their farms as thanks for their wonderful produce!
But is there a way to do it without the expensive equipment? Whilst there can be local restrictions for on-site composting or you might not have the space, there is also the option of using a service that does it for you, ensuring that all your organic waste is dealt with in the right way- using your leftovers to create a meal of a different kind. Just make sure to do your research to ensure the service you partner with is the right fit and you know exactly where your waste will end up.
Sharing the Love-
We all know the feeling of staring at a fridge of perfectly good food that we know we will have to discard at the end of service. Fear not, that food waste can be a force for delicious good. Be it using the ingredients to create incredible meals for homeless people like chef Massimo Bottura or partnering with a local charity or food-waste social enterprises/businesses such as Food Cloud or Karma, you can do your part to bridge the hunger gap.
Food For Thought-
Like every good journey, it starts with a single step and hopefully, this guide will have given you some food for thought when it comes to beginning your fight against climate change and food wastage. Simply put, less waste = a slowing of climate change = a greater chance of food equality now and food security for future generations so, let’s close that loop.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – Anne Marie Bonneau
Comments