When I started working at my uncle's restaurant, I knew that there were a few things I needed to adjust. First and foremost, I decided to start working on cleaning things up. It had been quite awhile since the place had been cleaned thoroughly, so I focused on sanitation and garbage removal. I hired a trash removal company to come in and remove old equipment, and then we worked on taking special care to deep clean all of the different appliances. It was amazing to see how big of a difference we were able to make. This blog is all about sanitizing your restaurant.
As a restaurant owner, you might find yourself throwing away a lot of food. Unfortunately, this can lead to "dumpster diving" behind your establishment. Even though it's certainly understandable that someone who is hungry (or simply against waste) might look for food behind a restaurant, allowing dumpster diving can be an issue. It can make your business look bad, and you also have to worry about someone being hurt while crawling in, around in and out of your dumpster. Luckily, following these three tips can help prevent this behavior.
1. Post Signage
First of all, consider having signs made at a local sign company that say things like "No Trespassing" and "No Climbing in Dumpsters." Those who see these signs might be afraid of you calling local law enforcement, so it can help deter the behavior. It also helps to have these signs because you can point them out when asking someone to leave the dumpster area or when contacting the police about a dumpster diving problem.
2. Give Food Away, Don't Trash It
Whenever possible, give food away rather than trashing it. If your dumpster is not a good source for food, dumpster divers may stay away. Plus, you can feel good in knowing that you are helping others out rather than contributing to food waste. You can work with local food banks, soup kitchens and other charities about pick-ups of food that you are getting rid of, such as ingredients that aren't quite fresh enough to serve in food that people are paying for but that are still safe for human consumption. Scraps can also often be given away, such as to farmers who are looking for food to feed to pigs and other livestock.
3. Increase Lighting Around Your Dumpster
Along with adding signage, consider adding ample lighting around your dumpster, including motion lights. If the lights pop on when someone tries to sneak in, they may decide to hunt elsewhere. Plus, it can make you and your employees feel safer and more comfortable when going to and from the dumpster if there is better lighting in the area.
Dumpster diving can be a big problem for restaurant owners, and you probably don't want to deal with this issue within your own restaurant. Luckily, if you follow these three tips and work with local law enforcement, you should be able to cut down on or eliminate this problem in no time. For more tips on keeping your dumpster safe, speak with a roll off dumpster rental company or your waste services provider.
Share21 June 2016
