Why Aren’t Restaurants Recycling?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Maderibeyza

About two-thirds of restaurants recycle paper and other materials, but among operators without a program in place, only one-fifth plan to start one in the next year.

That’s according to a new survey from the National Restaurant Association, which overall demonstrated a strong industry commitment to recycling, along with consumer enthusiasm for restaurants with recycling programs.

SEE: 7 Green Restaurants Around the U.S.

So why the hesitancy among non-recycling businesses?

The seeming disparity between restaurants that do and don’t is likely a question of infrastructure, education and related costs – not attitudes, explains Chris Moyer, director of the association’s conservation initiative.

“Sometimes there are recycling options out there, but they just don’t know where to find them,” says Moyer, a former restaurant employee himself. “When I recycled grease for the first time, it took me a while to find someone.”

Or it’s a regional issue, he adds: the restaurant is located in an area that lacks basic recycling services or much municipal support

Indeed 80 percent of restaurants in the nation’s northeast and 77 percent in the west recycle (compared to less than two-thirds in the Midwest and less than half in the south), from common waste items such as paper, cardboard, glass and plastic to cooking grease and food waste.

READ: Recipes For Low-Waste, Skinny-Waist Meals

Consumer attitudes, however, could motivate some restaurant operators to get with the program.

According to the survey (PDF alert), 60 percent of consumers prefer to eat at restaurants that recycle, about half are willing to pay more at such businesses and 85 percent are willing to help sort recyclables at fast food or quick serve restaurants.

Does that translate into revenue? Not exactly.

“You can’t put a dollar sign on how a patron views you, but people are identifying with their purchases and recycling is one of those feel good things,” Moyer says. “Operators choose to do it because of the perceived value, and also because it’s the right thing to do.”

But restaurants can expect to save money, says Holly Elmore, CEO of Elemental Impact, a nonprofit that focuses on sustainable business practices in the foodservice industry.

Waste hauling contracts charge by weight and frequency, Elmore explains, so when you recycle or compost the heaviest and smelliest waste streams (glass and food), operation costs drop dramatically.

In some cases, green businesses can expect to win out over their competition, Elmore adds, citing an example of an Atlanta catering company that generated $165,000 in business thanks to its zero waste program.

“The clients paid more because there’s recycling behind the scenes, because the company is walking the walk.”