Food waste is at the top of the UK’s agenda and considering we waste £9.7 billion of food every year, it is not hard to understand why it is a problem to be handled at the earliest possible time.
Of course, the best remedy would be to reduce as much food waste as possible at the granular level. However, that is not always possible for businesses in certain sectors, including food production, grocery retail, public sector (NHS and HMP) and hospitality.
Moreover, they have to pay the food waste collector to take it away, which creates no resultant revenue for the business. If you are in any of these sectors, it is vital to consider whether this is the best way to proceed or whether there are alternative innovative food waste solutions that can be set up on-site, to give you control over waste management.
The bottom line is, you do not have to pay for someone to remove your food waste. There is a way to manage this valuable resource to benefit from it – save money rather than spend it for example! Since sticking to strict Health & Safety regulations is a must, if you have an on-site food waste solution, it is essential to join forces with a provider that is both reliable and efficient.
If you are currently speaking to potential on-site food waste solutions providers, here are seven questions to ask them to help you make the right decision:
1. Will you accommodate the size of my business?
Food waste doesn’t always come in tonnage and not every food waste solutions provider has the capacity to offer flexible systems that can accommodate a range of volumes of food waste. You need to check that the provider is able to offer a range of solutions that will meet your requirements. That includes a range of physical systems sizes too, not just the volume of food waste that can be processed.
Please don’t make this decision in haste as it might impact your business operations adversely. If your business has a costly food waste disposal issue and you are not sure which solution suits your food waste management needs, please use our calculator to find out the best way forward.
2. How do I get a quote?
Preparing a quote is like making a cup of tea – everybody does it differently. Whether you want to get a quote over email or on call, it depends on the amount of information regarding your requirements you currently have with you.
Whomever you talk to, they will want to come to visit you to ensure they have all of the relevant information before they can give you a detailed quote. Investing in a waste management system is just that, an investment. Make sure your food waste solutions provider has a flexible pricing plan that suits your business requirements every step of the way.
At Waste2ES, we provide both OPEX or CAPEX options, especially if you add on the power-generating element to see your P&L flourish. The offer is turnkey and available over 3-5 years so that you can budget accordingly.
3. Are you compliant with legislation?
This is something that any business should consider while choosing a food waste solutions provider. Their way of working should be transparent and ethical. Food waste, if not managed well, harms the environment.
Hence, your food waste solutions provider must be fully compliant with environmental legislation and waste management legalities. Their systems must operate safely and within compliance.
Please speak to a staff member at W2ES to understand how we implement actionable food waste solutions in a compliant-manner.
4. What does your account management service include?
The job of a food waste solutions provider doesn’t finish once the dotted line has been signed and the system installed. There should be a dedicated Account Manager to conduct training sessions with all your team members. Waste2ES takes this very seriously, and we teach our customers the mechanics of the system deployed.
Your food waste solutions provider should also offer support on the phone and email, preferably 24/7. And if there is an issue, they should be able to resolve it remotely. Waste2ES not only provides this but also ensures if an engineer is required to be on-site, they will be physically present within one working day.
5. How are you operating under COVID-19 conditions?
6. Who manufactures your food waste management systems?
With a drive to support local and national businesses alike, especially considering the recent implications of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses are driven towards procuring products and systems that are manufactured in the UK. At Waste2ES, all of our systems are manufactured in the UK, which means higher manufacturing quality and more trust among our customers.
7. What is the installation process
If you have never deployed a waste management system on-site, you must gather as much information as possible about the process. Ask your potential food waste solutions provider the amount of time it takes and if any training is required to use it. Discuss the do’s and don’ts of using the system and be very clear about the kind of food waste your business produces daily. For instance, what if cutlery gets thrown into the system? What are the repercussions? Ideally, their MSA should include monitoring, reporting and repair/call outs.
Over to you
When partnering with a food waste solutions provider, certain aspects require attention, such as customer service, pricing, after-sales support and more. Therefore, take your time and ask a lot of questions to your potential candidates.
The right food waste solutions provider can save you heartache and money as you move along the food waste management process. Need to get started asap? Give us a ring on 01442 503929. Speak soon!
