Sustainability is the topic on everyone’s lips right now – and for good reason!
With the planet continuing to warm and plastic polluting seas, rivers and even our bodies, action is starting to take shape with governments and private businesses around the world doing all they can to reduce their impact and help save the planet from destruction!
If you’re one of the business owners keen to do the same, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll be discussing the various ways you can persuade your customers to recycle the packaging you give them with your food, ensuring the environmental footprint left by your business is as small as possible.
Provide Recycling Bins
The first step to encouraging your customers to recycle your packaging is by providing recycling bins in your takeaway. After all, you’ve got to lead by example here!
So have different bins for your customers to pop their rubbing into afterwards. If you’re selling bottled or canned drinks, then have a bin for these, as well as something for paper waste.
Make sure these are clearly and visibly marked so your customers don’t get confused. And if you notice not many are putting their rubbish into the right bins, you could always give them a polite and friendly reminder as you hand over their food.
Spread The Message On Socials
As well as encouraging your customers to recycle while they’re in your shop, you can also spread your eco message online via your socials.
To do this, you don’t need to be a climate science wizard! You can simply reshare posts encouraging others to think responsibly about the planet. Alternatively, if you want to get creatine you could think of some ways to incorporate your message into some of your very own posts.
Just try not to overdo it. While most prospective customers will appreciate the fact you’re trying to do your bit for the planet, you don’t want to beat the drum too hard as you’ll still need to promote your delicious food!
Offer Rewards
If you want to get people on board with your ideas, there’s no better way than to reward them!
So for customers who take their packaging away, consider offering a small discount on future orders for those takeaway containers.
If your business uses plastic containers. As well as contributing to a healthier planet, you could also reuse these. This means you’ll need to purchase fewer containers, so in the end it might not even cost you anything to offer a reward, so everyone wins – you, your customer and, most importantly, the environment.
If you wanted to get really creative, you could even set up a voucher or a loyalty points program for everything they bring back. Not only does this encourage them to bring their packaging back but it also makes them more likely to shop with you again and become repeat customers.
Get Creative With Packaging Design
Most takeaway packaging is the same from one shop to the next, but it doesn’t have to be! You’re free to get creative with your packaging, and this includes adding some eco-friendly messaging to encourage customers to recycle.
By including some friendly reminders on your packaging, this will make recycling clear and easy for your customers. As well as keeping customers in the know, this demonstrates your environmental consciousness and makes customers feel good about choosing your business.
Use eye-catching icons and simple instructions directly on containers or kraft boxes and consider using recycled or biodegradable materials whenever possible (more on this below).
Changes In The Law
So now we’ve gone over some ways you can encourage customers to recycle, let’s remind ourselves about the rule changes that came in late last year, with regards to plastic packaging.
Since October 1st, if you own a food or beverage business then the use of single-use plastic items has been prohibited. The wide-ranging list of items the government is banning includes single-use plastic cutlery and plastic packaging, as well as polystyrene containers and cups.
The ban covers all online and over-the-counter sales, so regardless of how and where you’re selling your food, you won’t be permitted to use these items any longer.
The new rules state that anyone found still using single-use plastic by local authorities or Trading Standards departments will face a fine and/or prosecution.
Dangers Of Plastic
Plastic pollution is a major threat to our planet. Unlike natural materials, plastic is not biodegradable, meaning it doesn’t break down on its own, therefore it lingers for hundreds of years, clogging up landfills and ecosystems.
In the sea, animals like sea turtles and fish mistake plastic for food, while birds and other animals get caught in plastic waste and can suffocate.
As plastic breaks down, it creates tiny microplastics that contaminate our oceans. These microplastics harm delicate coral reefs and enter our food chain through fish and shellfish, potentially ending up on our plates – yuk!
The potential health risks associated with ingesting microplastics aren’t yet fully understood, but most scientists are in agreement that the situation is dire and will only get worse if nothing is done.
This is why immediate action is crucial to protect our environment and ourselves from plastic pollution.
So those are some of the ways you can give your customers a gentle nudge to recycle your packaging. By implementing these strategies, you can significantly increase awareness and ensure your takeaway business contributes to a more sustainable future.
