Hospitality responsibility deal to launch in spring

The government-funded resource efficiency body has published a discussion paper on its current plans and is inviting feedback from stakeholders, with a view to launching the final deal in Spring 2012.

The possibility of a responsibility deal for the hospitality and food service sector was first outlined in the governments Waste Review, published in June 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story). The waste review stated that the deal would cover both prevention and the sustainable use of waste; however it did not give specific targets.

The agreement, when launched, will set specific targets for the hospitality sector to aid the reduction of the amount of waste arising whilst increasing recycling and composting rates. The deal will cover businesses such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, and fast-food outlets.

Deal

Commenting on the plan in a ministerial written answer earlier this month (December 7) Richard Benyon, environment minister, explained: Defra is working with the industry, devolved administrations and WRAP to produce a new responsibility deal with businesses in the hospitality and food service sector to reduce food and packaging waste and ensure that unavoidable waste is managed sustainably.

On 22 November, a discussion paper outlining the proposed targets and structure of the deal was published on WRAP’S website. Comments about this paper will be used to produce the final deal, which we hope to launch in spring 2012.

Targets

WRAP estimates that 3.4 million tonnes of waste arises from hotels, pubs and restaurants every year, with food and packaging accounting for the majority of this waste. It claims that the elimination of the 600,000 tonnes of avoidable waste that goes to landfill every year could save the sector up to 722 million.

It is estimated that the current rate of recycling for hotels, pubs and restaurants in the UK is 47%, and in the absence of the voluntary agreement would only rise to 54% by 2015.

WRAPs discussion paper proposes two targets for the sector for businesses to meet by the end of 2015. They are:

• To reduce food and associated waste arising by 5%. This would be measured by carbon dioxide emissions compared to the 2011 baseline.
• To increase the overall rate of food and packaging waste being recycled, composted of sent to anaerobic digestion to at least 70%.

The targets are expected to be achieved by educating staff and customers; making sure that reducing waste to landfill and waste reduction are key objective when procuring contracts and ensuring the facilities are equipped to handle, and separate, food and packaging waste for recycling. Larger businesses who sign up would be asked to supply annual waste figures.

WRAP intends to identify the principal causes of food and packaging waste arising in the sector in order to help reduce it. It also intends to introduce specifications that should be included as part of the contract procurement process to ensure that meeting the waste reduction target is a key objective.