New initiatives to better manage your waste and reduce food waste

In 2022, the issue of food waste and waste sorting is at the centre of concerns in the catering sector. To reduce wasted resources and non-food waste, the response must be made at several levels: in the stocks, in the kitchen, in the dining room but also beyond.

From stock management to food donations, from 5-stream sorting to connected bins, Adoria guides you to reduce your waste production.

Implementing 5-stream waste sorting

The obligation to recycle 5-stream sorting concerns the catering sector as well as other professional sectors such as companies and local authorities.

Its aim? To support restaurant owners in their ecological transition, in order to help them control their waste production, and thus save on management or packaging costs.

How to implement 5-stream sorting?

As a restaurant owner, you must therefore implement this waste sorting if :

you have your waste collected by a private service provider,
your public waste collection exceeds 1100 litres per week.

 To comply with this regulation, you must separate wood, glass, plastic, metal, paper/cardboard and pure food waste.

Using a sorting table: the Chef' Eco example

Discover how to optimise your sorting on another level and fight against food waste with the Chef' Eco sorting tables.

Compartmentalised bins for more thorough sorting

As a restaurant owner, you have very specific needs in terms of waste sorting. Chef' Eco has understood this and offers you a customisable waste management solution: its customised sorting table.

You can configure your own waste sorting station, with 2 to 5 different bins: depending on the quantities of waste generated on the service, the bins can be doubled or tripled to distribute the flows (RSI awareness / workload for the staff) and thus avoid changing the bags during the service. You can add simple or connected weighing systems.

A visualisation of your waste production thanks to a connected system

The Chef'eco sorting table can be fitted with one or more connected weighing systems: data recovery to monitor and control organic waste, and thus differentiate between essential waste and food waste.

 The Chef'Eco connected sorting table and Adoria are interfaced in order to centralise all business data on a single interface. This innovation allows sites / brands to :

• Consolidate their production indicators on a single screen
• Measure waste by category or by area (food leftovers from guests' returns, production, end of service, separate bread, etc.)
• Measure the quantity of waste on a daily basis vs. a target set in advance
• Cross-check the production achieved with the quantity of waste produced on a daily basis, in order to identify and correct any deviations.  

This is an excellent way to become aware of the food waste that can be avoided, and to find ways to improve.

Ways to reduce food waste and waste production

Learning how to reduce food waste will not only help the environment, but will also save you money in the long run. Adoria provides you with some tips on how to better manage your stocks, and what to do with your food waste and surplus.

Ensure good stock management

The best way to avoid waste is to always know exactly what food you have in stock.  Good management is therefore essential, allowing you to keep an eye on ingredients, their storage area and their expiry date. Adoria can help you digitise your stock management, for an optimised business.

Adopt the FIFO method to keep your stocks in order

In addition, the FIFO method, which stands for First In First Out, consists of setting up stock management based on the date of arrival of goods. This means that new products are systematically placed behind old ones, and old products are used first before they are wasted or out of date.

Knowing what to do with your surplus

One way to manage your surplus in an environmentally friendly way is to link up with a local charity or food bank, and donate uneaten, still consumable meals and ingredients to people in need.

For example, the online platform Click&Don (of which Adoria is a partner) allows commercial or collective catering establishments to easily make food donations to associations or solidarity canteens.

Redistributing leftovers from school canteens

New initiatives are also emerging, such as the setting up of shared fridges with the "unmixed" from school canteens in a commune in Gironde. This approach is in line with the Egalim law, and makes it possible to redistribute uneaten meals to families of schoolchildren in need.

Composting food waste

In addition to the 5-stream waste sorting, you can also choose to put your food waste in a compost bin. This includes fruit and vegetable peelings, old bakery products, cereals, coffee grounds and tea bags - pretty much any food except meat, fish and dairy products.

Implement the doggy bag option

Finally, if your customers haven't finished their food, why not offer them the option of taking their leftovers home in a doggy bag? This gives them the opportunity to finish their meal later, and reduces your amount of leftovers and waste.

Reminder: since 1 July 2021, restaurant owners must provide their customers with "recyclable or reusable" containers on request so that they can take their unfinished food home.