As a restaurant owner or food service manager, you may want to consider adopting a recycling program within your business to encourage the preservation of energy and our environment. Depending on what you are recycling, you can even make a hefty profit too.

Continue reading to learn some helpful tips about food service recycling, including items that can be recycled and where to get started.

Did You Know?

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), restaurants and food service providers amount to 2% of North America’s total solid waste, which adds up to more than 6 million tons! On average, nearly 1.5 lbs. of garbage is produced per restaurant meal. In fact, some fast food restaurants produce approximately 200 lbs. of trash for every $1,000 in register sales! With statistics like these, you can see why commercial recycling is an important effort to make.

Commercial Recycling

People recycle at home all the time. In fact, several local governments have established residential recycling programs to encourage the initiative. So why not apply this initiative to the commercial world? If you are a restaurant/food service owner or manager, you can! Not only are there several items within the industry that are recyclable, there are certain commodities that can be sold to a local Indianapolis scrap metal buyer for cash on the spot!

What You Can Recycle

⇒ Anything Metal – Steel, aluminum, and tin cans are common metal items in the food service industry. Also, metal pots, pans, and cutlery are better recycled when replaced.

⇒ Anything Plastic – Although you have to check with your local recycling provider, most plastic items can be recycled. Containers, wrappers, packaging, and disposable cutlery are good examples.

⇒ Anything Glass – Glass can be melted down or crushed, and reused in a number of applications. Jars, cups, dishware, and anything else made of glass will be accepted by a local recycling company regardless of color.

⇒ Anything Paper – Paper is one of the most recycled materials. Once you start collecting paper items, you will see just how much there really is to recycle, such as paper trays liners, place mats, napkins, and beverage holders.

⇒ Anything That Runs on Power – Appliances, electronics, and anything else that runs on power or has a motor can be recycled; it can really pay off too!

Old Appliances and Electronics

When it comes time to replace an old or broken piece of equipment, like appliances and electronics, you can recycle them instead of throwing them to the junk yard. Broken appliances and electronics still retain valuable metals that can be reprocessed into new scrap metal, making them valuable to enterprises like the scrap metal industry. Most scrap metal recycling centers will pay you cash regardless of the age, make, model, and condition; they might even pick them up and haul them away for you for free.

Getting Started

If you want to be a part of the initiative, join the hundreds of other restaurants and food service operators by developing your own in-house, dockside recycling program. In addition to establishing comprehensive, cost-saving recycling program, you can also implement greener practices, like only buying products in recyclable packaging, or using only recyclable containers. Feeling overwhelmed? Just start with a simple goal, and then build on it with each passing season.

Who to Call for Trusted Service

Call Garden City Iron & Metal at 1-888-586-5322 recycle scrap metal in Indianapolis, Indiana. We buy and recycle any and all scrap metal and metal-containing commodities, regardless of condition. Whether it is covered in rust or not, we will accept anything with metal, including appliances, vehicles, auto parts, farm equipment, construction equipment and materials, boats, watercrafts, scooters, motorcycles, RVs, and more! Request a free estimate, today.