A cooperative I am involved with has helped 100s of restaurants and cafes over the past few years shift toward zero waste -- a philosophy that supports the reconstruction of production life cycles such that all waste is reused or recycled.

Food service businesses shooting for zero waste focus on reducing their waste as much as possible and then rerouting any remaining waste toward recycling & composting facilities. To achieve zero waste, I've found these businesses combine 3 major strategies:

Removing Non Recyclable And Non Compostable Waste - I have found that a variety of our generations sustainable bistros and cafes successfully get rid of all waste that can not be sent for composting or recycling. For outgoing materials (the ones used by consumers), lots of restaurants have shifted over to compostable food packaging (e.g., biodegradable coffee cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable utensils, compostable containers). Note: Businesses should ensure that any product labeled biodegradable meets ASTM D-6400 for compostability. Inbound packaging supplies can be slightly tougher to regulate (e.g., it's more difficult to make sure that a vendor doesn't cover your fruits in plastic wrap), but nevertheless quite a few restaurants are asking suppliers to avoid using packaging which is tough to recycle (e.g., polystyrene).

Eliminating Trash Bins -
I have seen quite a few green minded restaurant owners we work with eliminate or significantly decrease the size of their trash bin. This seems to be an incredibly powerful strategy so long as you've already applied #1 and reduced the majority of your plastic packaging to items like biodegradable coffee cups and biodegradable plates. By disposing of your trash bin, you effectively force consumers to think before throwing away their waste; and particularly when coupled with compelling recycling & composting signage, this can be an extremely powerful tactic for getting consumers to self-sort their recyclables & compostables in-store.

Educating The Employees -
I've found that restaurants that are the most effective at moving toward zero waste take significant effort to educate their staff on effective recycling techniques, composting practices, and the use of reusable goods. Education is key when dealing with questions from customers (e.g., which bin does this fork go in?) and to ensure the effective sorting of waste left on countertops or in the prep area. Additionally, having employees that are passionate about a restaurants' transition toward zero waste will go a long way toward embedding that sentiment into the business' culture and the hearts of its customers.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the eco-friendly steps being taken by restaurants & cafes. Best of luck on your green-minded journey!