Sodexo NI team wins bronze for WasteLESS Week

The Sodexo catering team based at Allstate in Belfast has won Bronze for the excellent campaign it ran during Sodexo UK and Ireland’s recent WasteLESS Week campaign.

WasteLESS Week is a five-day campaign run by Sodexo teams based on client sites worldwide. The objectives are to look at how much waste is generated on each site and what can be done to reduce it, in line with the company’s stated commitments to reducing waste worldwide over the next five years. On 1 February 2020, Sodexo UK & Ireland announced that it is removing products containing unrecyclable polystyrene and single use plastic bags from its supply chain, which includes all foodservice items such as takeaway boxes and cups. 

During the week, Colm Daly, business manager, Sharon Wade, team leader and WasteLESS champion, and the rest of the Sodexo team set up ‘Good2Go’, where every afternoon, any leftover pastries and scones were sold at a discounted price. They launched the Bring Your Own Cup campaign, where customers only received a loyalty stamp for hot drinks if they used a reusable cup. They also ran a Bring Your Own Lunch Box campaign, encouraging customers to bring their own rather than using a takeaway box. 

Sodexo arranged for Belfast City Council to set up an information stand at Allstate, providing tips and advice on how to recycle at home and reducing food waste. Madlug, a charity that helps give dignity to children in care, came along to highlight its ‘Wear One Give One’ products which included reusable cups, drink bottles and lunch cooler bags. The Sodexo team also provided restaurant and coffee vouchers for recycling pop quizzes and other initiatives. 

To encourage individual action, the team also asked people to write down their own commitments to reduce waste on Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow whiteboard. 

Colm Daly, business manager for Sodexo at Allstate, said: “The heights of some well-known Belfast landmarks were very effective in illustrating how many disposable items were used in a year. For instance, the number of disposable cups used in 2019, if stacked on top of each other, was equivalent to 2,650 metres, which is 25 times higher than Samson, the taller of the two Harland and Wolfe cranes. The number of takeaway boxes used came to 1,440 metres, 18 times higher than the Grand Central Hotel, the tallest commercial structure on the island of Ireland."

These figures definitely made an impact and during WasteLESS Week, we saw a 20% drop in disposable cup use, and it is continuing to reduce, which is very good news.

Afterwards, Colm and Sharon reviewed the activities with the client’s environment committee, and it was agreed to continue with many of the of the initiatives, including the BYO reusable cup scheme. With Colm’s advice and input, the client employees have sourced sustainable branded Allstate reusable cups, water bottles and lunchboxes, and other initiatives are planned for 2020. 

Julie Ennis, country president, Sodexo Ireland and Northern Ireland, said:

“Fantastic news for Colm, Sharon and all our team at Allstate. A rich and resourceful planet is indispensable for quality of life in the long term. In everything we do, we aspire to build a harmonious relationship between individuals, communities and the environment in which we live."

"We are committed to leaving a healthier planet. It was a great result and my thanks for their hard work, commitment and continued focus on social value.”

Sodexo is one of Northern Ireland’s leading food and facilities management providers, with clients in business, industry, healthcare and government services.

 

Pictured

From left to right: Sean Craig, head chef; Omolara Adeyemo, kitchen porter; Jonny Allen, barista; Emma Durrant, food services assistant/pastry chef; Cormac Campbell-Beattie, barista and Tina McGovern, food services assistant/breakfast chef. Front row are Elaine Crawford, chef; Sharon Wade, team leader and Colm Daly, business manager for Sodexo at Allstate in Belfast.