Most of us aspire to become more eco-friendly, but as the owner of a restaurant, you also have your bottom line to consider. So rather than just sharing ways that you can benefit the environment, we’ve put together a list of things that can also benefit your business.
A penny saved is a penny earned, so we’ve put a dollar amount to each item so you know exactly how much green you’re saving as you help save the Earth.
1. Get a free grease trap cleaning. A quality grease trap is a must for every restaurant. It protects your plumbing from back-ups and blockages by intercepting greases and solids before they even enter your pipes, and it also helps protect the environment. Unfortunately, keeping that grease trap clean costs money – unless you use the coupon from EcoZero’s Facebook page for a free one.
Value: $200
2. Take advantage of Energy Saving rebates. When it comes time to replace or upgrade an appliance – fryers, commercial dishwasher, ice machines, hot-food holding cabinets, anything – head over to the Energy Star rebate finder before you go shopping. Local governments want to encourage you to use less energy, and they’re putting their money where their mouths are. Also, purchasing a more energy-efficient appliance means 10 to 30% lower utility bills for the product’s lifetime.
Value: Up to $500 (plus your utility bill savings)
3. Stop offering plastic bags. It’s likely that you need to provide your customers with take-out boxes for their leftovers, but do you need to then put those boxes in a plastic bag, too? Sure, it’s slightly less convenient to just carry the boxes themselves rather than toting a bag around, but most customers don’t mind and probably won’t have more than a box or two anyway
Value: $20
4. Engage in de-lamping. What does that mean? Replace two fluorescent tubes with one LED tube. Yes, there’s an upfront cost, but after about a year, the amount you save in operating costs will cover the cost of the LED retrofit. From there, you’re just raking up the savings. Sixty fluorescent lights cost about $150 a year to operate. If you replace those with 30 LEDs, you’ll only have a bill of about $35 per year. Also, LED bulbs last longer than fluorescents, which not only saves you that cost but also the hassle of replacing the bulbs as often.
Value: $115
5. Set-up recurring grease collection. The grease that your restaurant produces and disposes every day can instead be saved and given a second life as biodiesel. Sound like a lot of hassle for you and your employees? It doesn’t have to be. Our company, EcoZero, will handle everything for you – collection, clean-up, and transport. Even better, they’ll actually send you a check every month for the oil. Yep, that same oil you’ve just been throwing away.
Value: $150
In just a few steps, you’ve made a significant positive impact on the environment – and your bottom line. Total value for you? $985. Total value for Mother Earth? Priceless.
