A new report commissioned by the Hospitality Carbon Reduction Forum (HCRF), whose members include Whitbread, J D Wetherspoons, Mitchells and Butlers, Nandos and Hammerson, shows that food waste management costs could be reduced by 30% and much less food be sent to landfill.
Much needs to be done, however, before ‘could be reduced’ becomes ’will be reduced’ not just for the large organisations that are members of HCRF, but for the wider hospitality sector.
Hospitality forum members themselves collectively spend over £46 million on waste management per year, but half of all food waste, some 150,000 tonnes, still goes to landfill. Transportation, bulking up sites and delivery to Anaerobic Digestion facilities represent the single largest cost element.
Collaboration could transform the waste industry
Peter Charlesworth of Carbon Statement, who was commissioned to investigate the food waste problem on behalf of forum’s members, concludes that collaboration between companies on waste collection and efficient backhauling by logistics operators could transform the UK’s waste industry. More food waste would go to anaerobic digestion and energy, the sector would become more efficient and business’ overall waste costs would drop.
Cost management is critical
For pubs and restaurants operating on tight business margins, cost management is critical. Avoiding the spiralling costs of landfill and legislative change, while improving the efficiency of waste management collection, is of considerable interest to the 40 forum members, who represent 13,500 pubs and restaurants across the UK.
With utility costs expected to rise by at least 30% in the next three years, Carbon Statement estimates hospitality sector companies will have to increase their turnover by more than 10% just to maintain their current business margins.
“The hospitality sector is up against it – Scottish legislation due in 2014 will largely end the dumping of food waste to landfill, landfill costs are rising, and fuel prices are continuing to drive up delivery and collection costs,” says Charlesworth.
Collaboration and new approaches
Carbon Statement’s report has identified nine potential pilots, which could demonstrate the benefits of collaboration and new approaches to waste collection and management. The report also highlights new relationships and working partnership opportunities with Anaerobic Digestion sites, such as moving from ‘bin lift fees’ to weight orientated commercials.
Chris George of Whitbread commented: “The forum’s collaboration and sharing of best practice will ultimately lead the hospitality industry to a more sustainable future with new, innovative ways of working. We expect to benefit from reduced landfill charges and transportation costs, reduced carbon emissions as we start to generate off site energy, and improved environmental impact, as we’ll be doing more for less.”
Peter Charlesworth concludes: “We are very excited by the response we have had from forum members. A change in distribution and pricing brought about by the collaboration of the hospitality industry could lead a wholesale change in the way that companies manage their waste streams. This has the potential to create a ‘linked-up waste strategy’ that would work for the overall benefit of hospitality forum members and possibly be adopted by other sectors.”