Cultivating Sustainable Practices in Hospitality Equipment Management

Hospitality businesses spend twice as much time thinking about buying new equipment as they do about getting rid of old gear, according to Ramco, a specialist in equipment reuse. Ramco is calling on foodservice companies to prioritise environmentally-friendly disposal of old equipment.

Recent data gathered between August and September of 2023 reveals that almost 41% of UK hospitality organisations opt to throw away or dump their old, but still working, equipment because it's easier than finding new homes for these items. Businesses are responsible for discarding about 20% of landfill waste.

A survey by Censuswide, involving 400 senior decision-makers, found that nearly 29% of senior managers in the hospitality sector do not prioritise sustainability when disposing of old items.

Paul Fieldhouse, a foodservice consultant at Ramco, emphasises the need for action and encourages foodservice businesses to take responsibility for extending the life of their old equipment. Fieldhouse urges firms to place as much importance on environmentally-friendly disposal as they do on buying new equipment.

Fieldhouse expressed his disappointment that almost 17% of hospitality organisations still discard working equipment instead of finding them new homes. Around 68% of hospitality organisations admit to having idle but working equipment. Their goal should be to ensure these assets don't end up in the trash but instead get reused.

With the rising costs of doing business, Fieldhouse suggests this is a great time to sell surplus assets. The second-hand market has been thriving in recent years, with customers buying various equipment, from coffee machines, packaging machines, meat processing machines, ovens and other food machinery.