How to Keep Your Garbage From Outgrowing Your Business

You did not get into this business to think about garbage. But as a restaurateur you will create a lot of waste, including food scraps, grease, and paper products. Not only does it take a toll on the environment, the way you set up your restaurant waste system will affect the health and safety of your customers, the aesthetics of your restaurant, your potential liability, and your costs.

Rodents and flies (after all, they have to eat, too) forage through trash. Odors can offend neighboring residents and businesses, spurring complaints against your business. Municipal government bodies around the country are imposing increasing regulations on how foodservice waste is to be handled. In addition, businesses can incur civil "nuisance" liability from surrounding landowners that claim your business is interfering with the value or enjoyment of their property. As a cautionary tale, a restaurant owner in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is one of four defendants facing a lawsuit over dumping practices. The claimed damages exceed $75,000. If the plaintiffs are successful in their action, the owner may be forced to close her restaurant, leaving her staff unemployed. As the owner said, "This suit defies common sense. I have recycled for years. I used the trash hauler that was approved and permitted by my borough government."

As a startup or expanding restaurant operation you have a great advantage over an existing unit that has lost control of its garbage storage and disposal process -- you can plan your layout, operations, and procedures in a way that manages trash before it becomes a headache. This article will point out the ways poor garbage management hurts your restaurant, and techniques and precautions to avoid typical problems.