"Implementing the waste hierarchy" -Assessing recycling potential of restaurant waste

Abstract

Long working hours, the growing middle class, the increased participation of women in the labour force as well as the convenience offered by restaurants have greatly accelerated the growth of the commercial food service sector across the world (Elmedulan et al., 2014). This is also true for South Africa where eating outside of the home has become more prevalent. South African food consumption patterns show an increase in the consumption of food away from home while consumption of home cooked meals is decreasing (Blick et al., 2018). The expansion of the commercial food service sector comes with an increase in the amount of waste generated by the sector, adding to the high volumes of waste that municipalities are grappling with. Municipal efforts towards diversion of waste from landfill tend to focus more on household waste, while waste coming from restaurants receives less attention. As a result, most of the waste generated in restaurants is disposed at the landfills as mixed waste. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for diversion of restaurant waste away from landfill. A waste characterization study of thirteen restaurants in two shopping malls located in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality was conducted. The results showed that more than 74% of waste generated by the sampled restaurants can be recovered through recycling (paper, plastics, glass and tins) and composting/anaerobic digestion (food waste), while all of the waste generated is currently being disposed as mixed waste The composition of waste and current waste management practices by restaurants in both malls highlight the need for improved waste management practices. These may include improved waste management practices at the point of generation, which appreciate waste as a resource and encourage diversion of waste away from landfill. The results also indicate a need for a more holistic approach to integrated waste management by municipalities that does not only focus on waste generated by households, but also address the contributions of commercial and institutional waste, which includes restaurants as source of waste with high recyclability potential.