Get readyPlasticforFree July

Organised by the Plastic Free Foundation, a global not-for-profit organisation, Plastic Free July is a month of global action, raising awareness among businesses, communities and individuals to reduce plastic waste. For the hospitality sector, it provides a great opportunity to take small, daily activities which reduce single use plastics. Businesses are encouraged to sign up to the challenge online and will receive tips and examples to get started.

One tip is to conduct a stock room or refuse bin audit. Jess Bushby from the Plastic Free Foundation says, “Go through all the rubbish and create an inventory of the disposable plastic items you use in your business such as coffee cups, plastic plates, knives and forks. Once you’ve established what products you want to avoid, talk to suppliers and ask them if they have alternatives and consider the packaging they currently send their products in.”

A great way to engage staff is to kick things off with a plastic free morning tea and get the conversation started. Jess says, “This is an opportunity to share food and drink that hasn’t been wrapped in plastic and start having conversations around plastic free ideas and sharing solutions. People also call it a plastic free lunch, tea break, elevenses and many more.”

Start small with your changes. Jess says, “It’s important to make one or two small changes. If you try and change too much at once, it may feel overwhelming and unachievable.”

A ‘changeover toolkit’ can be found on the Plastic Free July web site with useful resources such as posters for display to show customers that your establishment accepts and encourages reusable cups and containers. Jess says, “Demonstrating your values to your customers is good for business and can have huge impacts on the environment. Foodservice businesses reach hundreds of people – the more people who are aware of the issue and the solutions, the more impact will be made.”

Reducing the number of single use disposable cups is important. It’s a good idea to offer discounts to people who bring in their reusable cups as an incentive.

Jess says, “Other cafes simply train their staff to ask customers if they brought their reusable cup when they take an order. This will often work as a prompt for customers to remember it next time. Social media posts are another effective way to let customers know that reusable cups and containers are encouraged.”

Other solutions include a ‘mug library’. Collect a range of ceramic mugs, display them and add signage to encourage customers to use one if they forget their cup, and they can return it later.

THE PLASTIC FREE FOUNDATION HAS THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS:

• Swap single use condiments for large bottles that can be refilled such as soy sauce, tomato sauce, mayonnaise, butter, jam, vinegar, salt and pepper

• Swap plastic cutlery for reusable metal sets or consider renewable or compostable cutlery for takeaways

• Swap plastic plates for ceramic

• Encourage customers to bring their own container when ordering takeaways

• Encourage customers to bring back cup holders for reuse

• Offer filtered water in glasses instead of plastic water bottles

Find out more at www. plasticfreejuly.org

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