The food industry is a significant contributor to waste production. According to research, 20% of the food produced in Canada is wasted. This food eventually ends up in a landfill.
Food loss occurs in various places, including grocery stores, homes, restaurants, and transportation. Restaurants and grocery stores need to implement policies to prevent the wastage of extra food. For example, sell food that starts rotting at a cheaper rate. Likewise, restaurants can lower their prices of the food on the menu at the end of the day instead of throwing it out.
Apart from this, restaurants can invest in a commercial trash compactor to reduce the food waste that is filling landfills. As a restaurant owner, getting rid of garbage this way can reduce costs and ensure the recycling of food.
What is a commercial trash compactor?
A trash compactor is similar to metal dumpsters but also has metal rams. These rams push the trash into small blocks for easy disposal. It can reduce the size of the waste by more than half the size of the original. There are various sizes and purposes of a commercial trash compactor; large compactors can hold up to 1,000 gallons. It is also for disposing of food items, cardboard boxes, plastics, and metal cans.
To use a trash compactor, place the trash in the drum, and close the lid. Turn on the switch to turn on the machine. Take necessary safety precautions when using a compactor. Do not dispose of glass and chemicals (such as flammable material) using this method.
Five reasons why a restaurant needs to buy a trash compactor
Restaurants can place smaller, in-house trash compactors on their lot. More volume of trash requires more effort and resources to remove and manage it. Here are five reasons why a restaurant needs a trash compactor.
1. Reduce the cost of waste management
To remove the trash, constant trips to the dumpster are time-consuming, especially if your restaurant is a thriving business. Moreover, it also reduces the transportation cost and time for disposing of waste at a landfill. Essentially it makes waste disposal efficient. It also saves unnecessary costs of hiring an employee for the sole purpose of hauling trash.
2. Reduce the impact on a landfill
Compactors reduce the volume of trash. Hence, a garbage truck takes it to a landfill, trash takes up less space. Effective utilization of the landfill area happens.
3. Keep the environment green
A compactor invariably leads to fewer transportation costs, which leads to a reduction in carbon footprint. Also, you can’t put everything into a compactor. Hence, you are likely to pay more attention to what goes into the trash compactor and make changes to reduce wastage of food items. Moreover, your reputation as an environment-friendly restaurant is likely to garner attention.
4. Fewer problems with loose trash
Loose trash can be a home for rats, cockroaches, and other pests. Over time, it also starts to smell. If the dumpster is close to your restaurant, it can leave a lingering problem of pest attacks and odor. For quick removal of trash to avoid these problems, a compactor is of paramount importance.
Compact trash is easy to manage and transport. Loose garbage tends to spill, which requires additional cleaning and maintenance. Hence, with a trash compactor, you can safely dispose of trash where less maintenance is required.
5. More space on your lot
A commercial trash compactor takes up almost the same space as one dumpster. Instead of having multiple dumpsters to store garbage, you only need one compactor. Hence, you save space on your lot. You can use the extra space for car parking.