Technology in the Kitchen
The hotel industry is starting to adopt on-site technologies that help properties reduce the amount of food they send to the landfill.
While technology comes at a capital cost, the investment offers highly actionable operational insights and high levels of return.
Measuring and Tracking
There are several options that gather instant food waste measurements and create a daily log of item level waste that can inform business and operational decisions. Properties who have utilized this type of tracking technology have seen 50% reductions or more in food waste and tens of thousands of dollars in savings annually.
Leveraging cutting-edge technology, powerful data science, and a proven Culinary Team Empowerment Program, LeanPath helps organizations understand exactly how and why food is being wasted, then take decisive action to achieve real, measurable results.
The Winnow System makes it quick and easy to record exactly how food is being wasted through smart meter technology attached to your food waste bin. The system provides both real-time and regular reporting on data, so that you can easily identify areas for reducing your food waste.
Lumitics’ AI food waste tracker empowers kitchens to track all food waste generated seamlessly without any change to current kitchen workflows or requiring any manual user input. Their data visualization platform provides chefs with real-time monitoring of their kitchen’s food waste and recommendations on how it can be reduced.
KITRO harnesses the power of technology to automate food waste management. Comprised of hardware and software, KITRO provides a fully automated food waste measurement solution to commercial kitchens. Start measuring to reduce food waste by 60% and significantly increase your profit margins.
Recycling Nutrients, or Digesting
For properties that generate a high volume of food waste and do not have access to a hauler that can compost or send their scraps to an anaerobic digester for energy and nutrient recovery, there are also technologies that provide a more environmentally friendly solution than sending your food waste to the landfill.
Anaerobic digesters provide an alternative food waste management the natural process in which microorganisms in a water solution break down the organic materials, like food waste, into a wastewater that can be discharged through the traditional municipal sewage system. Anaerobic digestion happens in closed spaces where there is no air. Recycling wasted food through anaerobic digestion produces biogas and a soil amendment, two valuable products.
Wasted food can be processed using a digester onsite to eliminate the need to store or transport your organic waste. However, these technologies do rely on large quantities of water to help break down the organic material and may not be suitable for all geographies or off-site.
Digester Options
There are several systems you can purchase to do your own onsite digestion, saving you on hauling costs. Here's just a few of the options: