How this café reduces cardboard disposal costs

Turning cardboard into compost to reduce waste costs

Sassafras of Paddington café are realistic about how businesses can make sustainability affordable. Read about how owner Chris and his team save on waste service costs and send less waste to landfill, through composting and recycling. 

Problem

Baffled by the number of bins his café filled each week, local proprietor Chris Zirbel was determined to find a better way to dispose of food waste and cardboard.

Solution

Chris keeps an eye on changes in the market, in order to introduce more sustainable waste practices and save costs as prices change.

“Two years ago, we couldn’t afford to dispose of organic waste and recyclables sustainably. Now, we can do it at almost the same cost if not less,” Chris shares.  

Sassafras have gone from 10 general waste bins a week, to just two, in less than two years. In addition to their two general waste bins, they now also have three commercial compost bins, which only cost $8.80 per weekly pick up.  

“The great thing is that now commercial compost can take paper napkins and boxes, bones, and food scraps. We don’t have smelly food waste sitting in general waste anymore, and we don’t need a dedicated scraps fridge,” Chris explains. 

They were also able to replace their dedicated cardboard bins with a compost bin, swapping out a weekly cost of more than $200 for a much nicer $8.80. For all their rubbish, they use biodegradable rubbish bags, which only cost them 1c more per bag (or $5 per box).  

When it comes to recycling and disposing of food waste, Chris says it pays to shop around. “Finding the right supplier is key” he says, “I have found that J.J. Richards & Sons provides competitive offers in this space.”  

Waste costs change frequently. Information provided is accurate as of June 2020.