This Just In – People Like Recycling
Maybe that’s not news to most people, but it has important implications for the restaurant industry according to a recent survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in conjunction with Georgia-Pacific Professional. The survey was designed to better understand the recycling practices of restaurant operators and the impact they have on consumer perceptions and actions.
Sixty percent of consumers said they prefer to go to restaurants with recycling programs. For the nearly two-thirds of restaurant operators who have recycling programs, that’s good news.
“This survey shows that there are potential economic benefits for restaurants that have environmental programs in place, which can be a significant incentive,” says John Mulcahy, vice president – strategy and category effectiveness for GP Professional’s Food Services Solutions group.
The recycling practices and preferences of food service operators are important to Georgia-Pacific Professional, which makes paper products – many from recycled fiber -- for use in restaurants, hotels, airports, sports arenas and other public places.
“We learned from this survey that recycling can work to the benefit of food service operators and suppliers like Georgia-Pacific in a lot of different ways,” says Mulcahy. “Not only do restaurant recycling programs attract customers and help reduce disposal costs, but also the wastepaper collected becomes the raw material for the next generation of towels, napkins, bath tissue and other paper products that we supply to the food service industry. It’s sustainability in action.”
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