GO GREEN, SAVE GREEN: HOW TO MAKE YOUR KITCHEN MORE SUSTAINABLE
Reduce your kitchen’s environmental footprint and decrease costs.
To adopt more sustainable practices, focus on these FOUR AREAS;
1. ENERGY CONSERVATION
The quickest – and perhaps most obvious – way to reduce energy consumption is to invest in energy-efficient commercial food-service equipment. Saving energy is the top concern among consumers regarding restaurant sustainability.
2. WASTE REDUCTION
If energy conservation is one side of the sustainability coin, waste management is the other. Although restaurant kitchens can make a big difference by consuming less energy, they must also produce less waste to ensure they’re taking advantage of every opportunity to be more sustainable, starting with the following steps:
- Properly label trash and recycling receptacles.
- Reduce paper and cardboard waste by having it picked up for recycling.
- Source food responsibly.
- Use equipment that maintains proper temperatures to avoid food spoilage.
3. PROPER OIL MANAGEMENT
Properly disposing of used cooking oil is an important step many restaurant kitchens overlook in their efforts to create a more sustainable kitchen. For example, pouring discarded cooking oil down a drain is a wasteful and detrimental choice that can cause major backups and cost restaurants thousands of dollars in property damage
Australian Eco Oils helps reduce landfill waste by recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel – a fuel that not only repurposes oil otherwise going to waste but also acts as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
4. WATER USAGE
Being more conscientious about water usage will also contribute towards a sustainable restaurant.
- Serve water to guests upon request.
- Install high-efficiency pre-rinse spray valves before loading the dishwasher.
- Fix all faulty/leaking faucets.
- Use high-quality dishwashing detergent to reduce the number of cycles needed.
- Regularly delime and clean the wash arms of your dishwasher.
Source: RTI ebook: Safer, Smarter Kitchens (https://www.rti-inc.com/knowledge/\)