How to go Zero Waste: the tips you need to know for your professional kitchen

The United Nations’ International Day of Zero Waste highlights how important it is for all industries to improve waste management and promote sustainable consumption. And as we mark the date on March 30, now is the perfect time to try and reduce your restaurant’s impact on the environment.

As a professional commercial kitchen, it’s important to analyze your operations and determine how to do better. There are plenty of simple changes you can make to streamline your operations and make the switch to become a zero-waste facility. Here are the top tips for running a successful zero-waste kitchen.

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action to governments, businesses and individuals worldwide to end poverty, improve health and education, combat climate change and preserve our oceans and forests, among other important causes.

It’s crucial for all types of businesses to adopt these SDGs. Two of the goals are particularly pertinent for commercial kitchens. Firstly, Goal 9 –– build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation –– touches on the importance of investing in innovative technologies to create a more sustainable business output.

Another key measure that professional kitchens can adopt is Goal 12 –– ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Creating sustainable, energy-saving workflows and reducing food waste in restaurants should be a priority –– not only will these measures help to reduce the impact on the environment, but they will also improve your business’s bottom line.

According to the National Restaurant Association, four to 10 percent of all food in restaurants fails to even reach the consumer. Restaurants can do better at the back end as well. The first steps should be implementing better kitchen management systems and investing in innovative smart kitchen devices. These devices will not only reduce food waste but also save money, paying for themselves in the long run.

To prepare greater quantities of food without any going to waste, Electrolux Professional SkyLine Blast Chillers ensure that your cooked food remains fresh for five days in a refrigerator or a year in a freezer. This helps to reduce food waste.

You can also combine Combi Ovens with Blast Chillers as a SkyDuo, creating a seamless way to pre-prepare large batches. The Cook and Chill solution can help deliver savings of up to $2,000 a month*.

A key part of reducing waste in restaurants is making the all-important switch from single-use items to reusable tableware. The likes of disposable takeout containers, and plastic cutlery and straws have an astronomical carbon footprint, consuming large amounts of fossil fuel for production and distribution and taking hundreds, if not thousands of years to decompose after a single use.

It’s time to stop using them. Breaking your reliance on single-use plastics creates more work initially when it comes to dishwashing, but investing in state-of-the-art appliances can make the switch to reusable tableware streamlined and simple and save you money in the long run.

Speed up the dishwashing process with a dryer for tableware, making sure your items can be used again swiftly and safely. Electrolux Professional HeroDry is an exceptional free-standing blower for reusable cups and tableware. One of the brand’s sustainable solutions that forms part of its “circular economy” initiative, it’s the perfect solution for eco-friendly drying in a busy gastro environment.

When it comes to going zero-waste, the right appliances can make all the difference. Alongside your recycling and composting efforts, sourcing fresh and local and avoiding the overproduction of food, how you store and cook it is key.

Electrolux Professional refrigerated and freezer cabinets can help extend the shelf-life of ingredients (thanks to Optiflow airflow system, designed to guarantee the best temperature uniformity throughout the cabinet) while technologies such as Cook and Chill mean you can bulk prepare food to avoid any wastage.

These appliances are built to last. Still, as a commercial kitchen with sustainability goals, it’s also important to consider how you will be able to dispose of your machines once they’ve reached the end of their lifespan. For instance, 90% of Electrolux Professional refrigeration equipment components can be recyclable or used for energy recovery, meaning you can be confident that even when your device comes to the end of its life, it’s not going to end up in landfill.

Electrolux Professional is also fully embracing International Zero Waste Day and is fully committed to the UN’s SDGs. With a pledge to switch to renewable and non-fossil energy sources, we have committed to become a carbon-neutral company in industrial operations by 2030.

Embrace waste reduction and get involved with the International Day of Zero Waste this year, improving sustainable consumption and production in your kitchen and for your customers.

By investing in next-generation technology such as Electrolux Professional’s Cook and Chill solution, you can make your restaurant a benchmark for sustainability, at the forefront of the drive to reduce food waste in restaurants.

* Based on Electrolux Professional Cook&Chill calculator, comparing Cook&Serve versus Cook&Chill method, both performed with Electrolux Professional appliances. Data April 2019.