Sorting in the food service industry

WHERE DO YOU START?

Analyse your situation, choose the right rubbish bins and bring in a professional waste partner.

HOW DO YOU IMPROVE THE QUALITY?

Inform staff and customers and monitor the results.

WHY SORT?

It's a sustainable and logical choice, but it’s also a legal obligation!

The PMD sorting rules for the food service industry

A lot of packaging is released in the food service industry, including classic PMD packaging (e.g. cans and bottles) and other packaging, especially in food preparation zones. They are very similar to the packaging we sort at home but are often a lot bigger or contain products we don't use at home. Examples include bulk packaging of sauces, spices or drinks, single-use gas cylinders and plastic films. But which packaging can you put in the PMD, and what does not belong there?

Download the PMD sorting rules for the food service industry

1. Analyse your situation

Which waste flows occur most frequently and in which locations?
What quantities are involved?
Where are rubbish bins located at the moment (indoors and outdoors)?
Besides the employees, are there any other specific target groups (non-native speakers or children) who need a modified approach to communication?
Where is the waste collected and which collection containers are provided?
What is the role of the staff members?

2. Choose the right rubbish bins and position them shrewdly

In a self-service business

Put sorting islands where customers enter or leave your establishment.
Match the size to the expected volume and avoid overflowing bins.
Group the rubbish bins for the various materials – PMD, residual waste, and possibly paper/cardboard and organic waste – together in sorting islands.

In the kitchen

Determine which waste is released in which zone.
Install rubbish bins for each waste flow.
Always place rubbish bins together in an island.

At the collection point

Provide a collection point with large containers per type of waste.
Identify each collection container with a sticker.
Give the staff clear instructions.

Download the rubbish bins plan for the food service industry

All you need to know about the choice and location of your rubbish bins

3. Bring in a professional waste partner

As a company or an organisation, you call upon a professional partner to collect and process your waste. You can add PMD to your current contract with your waste partner, but you can, of course, also opt for another waste partner.

Check whether your waste partner is affiliated to Fost Plus. That way, you can be sure that your PMD follows the proper path to recycling. These collectors can also provide you with the official PMD bags, bearing the words ‘PMD-Companies’. The official bags are also distributed by a number of cleaning companies.

Consult the list of affiliated PMD waste collectors

View our checklist for requesting a quote

Do you only have a limited quantity of PMD, comparable to an average family? Then can you call upon the municipal door-to-door collection system for your PMD. In that case, you use the municipal blue bags that you can buy in your local stores.

1. Inform

Customers

If you have a self-service business where customers clear their own dishes, clearly indicate that they have to sort their waste and explain exactly how to do that. Place the different bins together in sorting islands and equip them with the necessary stickers and lettering.

Discover the full range at www.thesortstore.be

Employees

Pay extra attention to the kitchen, as this is where most packaging is released. Make sure all employees know the PMD sorting rules for the hospitality industry and that they put it in the appropriate collection containers provided by your waste partner. It is also important that they use the correct bags.

Provide training where necessary, both on the sorting rules and the importance of quality.

2. Monitor

Monitor the results

Once you have started, it is important to monitor the sorting quality of the waste flows closely. Analyse the quality of the flows collected and note the most frequent problems. Involve the maintenance staff and take account of what they have to say, as well. Appoint someone responsible for following up the project.

Make good arrangements with your waste partner to obtain the information you need and analyse their reports and invoices. Monitor the quantities of each waste flow collected via the invoice or by making your own estimate of the number of bags or containers.

Motivate and give feedback

Communicate with colleagues and visitors about the results. Tell them how much is sorted and how the quality is developing. This way, you will motivate everyone who sorts properly and bring the last doubters on board. Don’t forget to thank everyone for their efforts!

Tell them about the positive points but draw attention to the areas that need improving and any sorting errors, as well. For example, bottles and cans need to be empty if they are to be given a new life. And don’t forget: a lot more can be put in the blue bag than before! Including yoghurt pots and plastic trays.

1. A sustainable and logical choice

Sorting PMD in your business, that's sustainable entrepreneurship! Because the more we sort, the more we can recycle. That way, we make sure that packaging is no longer lost in the residual waste but is given a new life as a valuable raw material. But it's also totally logical, because we all do it at home. Employees and customers increasingly expect it, too.

2. Sorting, a legal obligation

As a company or organisation, you are obliged by law to sort your PMD. Incidentally, the same applies to many other waste flows, too, such as glass, paper-cardboard and recently, kitchen waste and left-over food. The competent services are carrying out more and more inspections – and the law sets severe penalties for infringements.

Full details of your legal obligations can be found here