Been on holiday to the States? If you have the chances are that when you’ve been for dinner you’re always offered your leftovers in a doggy bag, something that isn’t really done back here.
However that could all be about to change. A recent article posted on the Zero Waste Scotland website touches on a pilot, Good to Go, in which some of the best restaurants in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Irvine are giving doggy bags away with diners in an attempt to reduce food wastage.
The article touches on how, here, there’s a stigma attached to asking for a doggy bag when out for dinner. But it’s hoped this new scheme could help fight against such a stigma.
As most of us are aware at the turn of the year the new Waste (Scotland) Regulations came into force, with greater emphasis on reducing all forms of waste – plastics, aluminum, paper, and food.
So although it’s good to try and make doggy bags more socially acceptable, the main focus of Good to Go is to try and prevent the equivalent of one in six meals ending up in the bin.
You’re perhaps wondering why so much energy is being put into cutting down food waste, after all, it doesn’t go to landfill. Iain Gulland, Director of Zero Waste Scotland, explains why it’s so important:
“Over 53,000 tonnes of food is thrown away in restaurants in Scotland each year, which is not only a huge waste of money, it’s also a huge waste of good food and the energy and water that went into producing it.”
It’s clear this pilot is seen as a possible way forward for changing attitudes as well as helping the environment in which we live.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead commented: “The ‘Good to Go’ pilot project will make it easier for diners to take home what they don’t finish to eat later, rather than it ending up in the bin.”
With the scheme still in it’s infancy, only launched in March, it’s hard to see if it’s began to work but it’s something we’ll be keeping a close eye on.
What do you think; if you were out for dinner would you ask for a doggy bag? We’d love to hear from you.
To learn more about Spectrum, and the services we provide, including waste and recycling management, you can visit our website, drop us an email, or call us on: 0141 887 500. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn where our staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
