Running a busy cafe means juggling great coffee, good food, happy customers and a seemingly endless list of things to keep stocked, cleaned and running smoothly! With so much happening behind the counter, reducing waste can easily fall to the bottom of the list. The good news! Making your cafe a little more sustainable doesn’t have to mean completely changing the way you operate. A few practical swaps and smarter everyday habits can make a real difference, and potentially save money along the way.
Look at your takeaway food packaging
Takeaway cups, containers, cutlery, napkins and bags can quickly add up. If takeaway is a big part of your business, this is also one of the easiest places to start making changes. Consider where you can switch to packaging made from recycled, compostable or sustainably sourced materials. You don’t necessarily need to change everything at once. Start with the products you go through the most and work from there.
It’s also worth making sure your team knows which packaging goes where after use. A compostable product isn’t much help if everyone assumes it belongs in the recycling bin!
Reduce food and coffee waste
A little bit of waste repeated hundreds of times can become a surprisingly big expense. Keep an eye on what regularly ends up in the bin. Are certain ingredients consistently being over-prepared? Is milk being over-poured when making coffees? Are pastries regularly left at the end of the day? Even small adjustments to ordering, portion sizes and preparation can help reduce both waste and costs.
And don’t forget those coffee grounds. Depending on the facilities available in your area, used grounds may be suitable for composting or could even find a second home with local gardeners and community gardens.
Make thoughtful cleaning choices
Cleaning is non-negotiable in hospitality, but there are ways to reconsider the products being used every day. Look for cleaning products designed with environmental impact in mind, including concentrated solutions that require less packaging, products with more environmentally considered ingredients and options suitable for refillable or reusable dispensing systems.
Switching frequently used cleaning products can be a relatively simple way to introduce more sustainable choices into your cafe without adding another complicated job to the day.
Get the team involved
Your baristas and cafe staff are the ones using these products every day, which means they’re often the first people to notice where waste is happening. Ask your team what they’re seeing. Maybe too many napkins are being handed out automatically, milk is regularly being over-poured or a particular takeaway container isn’t working well. Small ideas from the people behind the counter can lead to some of the easiest changes to implement.
Start small and build from there
Creating a more sustainable cafe doesn’t require an overnight overhaul. Choose one or two areas where you can make an easy change, see how they work for your team and customers, and then look for the next opportunity. Over time, those small decisions can add up to a much bigger difference.
Easy swaps to get you started
Not sure where to begin? We’ve picked some practical products that can help you start making more environmentally considered choices around your cafe.
Art Series Cups
Art Series coffee cups, not feature new artists designs every two months. They are sustainably sourced from managed plantations and made with a bioplastic lining made from plants, not oil. And the only cups certified commercially compostable to AS4736 in Australia and New Zealand.
Sugarcane Food Packaging
Packaging made from sugarcane which grow so fast, it’s classified as rapidly-renewable. Sugarcane bagasse is recyclable, the packaging is compostable to EN13432 and ASTM 6400 in industrial facilities.
Recycled Napkins
Recycled paper napkins, made from FSC mix certified paper and certified carbon neutral. Along with being recyclable and home compostable.
RTU Spray & Wipe
A multi-purpose cleaner with a fresh fragrance to assist with eliminating odours. Perfect for cleaning all hard surfaces to lift away grease, grime and stains. An eco friendly option with recyclable packaging. Plus it is a biodegradable formula that is both garden and septic safe.
RTU Quat Sanitiser
A no-rinse sanitiser for use on hard surfaces and food contact surfaces. An eco friendly option with recyclable packaging. Plus it is a biodegradable formula that is both garden and septic safe.
Compostable Binliners
Binliners made of corn are a great sustainable alternative to plastic liners. The perfect side to line bins and prevent mess and smells. Australian Certified Compostable, for use in both home composting bins, and commercial composting facilities. When composted, the liners breakdown with organic waste through microbial activity, in the same way as their parent plants, creating a rich soil enhancing compost, perfect for organic farming, and local community gardens and sporting fields.
Reusable Cups
Offer reusable cups which can keep coffee hot for up to 3 hours or provide insulation for cold drinks. Easy to clean with no fuss and a click back lid. Able to fit under standard coffee machines and in standard car cup holders.
Small changes are often the easiest ones to stick with. Whether you’re reviewing your takeaway packaging, reducing everyday waste or switching some of your most used cleaning products, there are plenty of simple ways to make more sustainable choices without compromising the quality and service your customers expect.