I cannot be alone. I am sure we have all looked at those waste receptacles/rubbish bins with questioning eyes and asked ourselves, what goes where? Although you will often be given a list of appropriate items, there is no way to include every possible allowable item. If you are like me, what you have in your hand is a plate or container of mixed items requiring multiple bins, further complicating the problem.

These guidelines are not my own, although I agree with most suggestions. Instead, they are disposal recommendations found online. Of course, you will still have to use your best judgment, as some suggestions do not apply to all venues.

Let us start with the easy items first. God forbid you hold on to something plastic, such as a water bottle, but many countries still allow it, so I have included it. Plastic bottles are typically easy to decipher; the same applies to metal cans. Look for the word plastic or aluminium or a picture of a bottle or can. According to the International Bottled Water Association (1), All bottled water containers, whether packaged in PET, HDPE, or PC plastic, are 100% recyclable. Coke (2) hopes to have all their bottles recyclable by 2025; however, their website claims only, 90% of our packaging is recyclable globally. I am sure other major retailers make similar claims. I suggest assuming the plastic bottle in your hand can be recycled, including the lids, which, according to my search, most lids are now made to be recyclable. However, it is recommended that the lids be removed.

Although the photo below from the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICCS) (Australia) (3) website may be challenging to read, you can see several options for each of the six bins, including what you can and cannot add. Depending on the event, you typically only find up to three bins throughout the ICCS. In either case, plastic bottles can be assumed to be recycled in the ‘yellow’ bin.

ICC Sydney website photo

Taken by Ott-Barnett (May 2024), ICCS Foodservice Australia Expo— Source: Annette Ott-Barnett Taken by Ott-Barnett (May 2024), ICCS Foodservice Australia Expo— Source: Annette Ott-Barnett

Another common item found at events is the disposable coffee cup. According to the ICCS, if you get their ‘BioCup’, consider it ‘organic’ and place it in the ‘green’ bin; if not, it goes to the landfill. The multitude of BioCups manufacturers claim the cups are designed to be composted. Surprisingly, many experts suggest that paper cups are not recyclable because they are coated in plastic. For instance, Starbucks (4) has a 2030 date for sustainability. We’ve set an ambitious goal for our cups to be 100% compostable, recyclable, or reusable; sourced from 50% recycled materials; and made using 50% less virgin fossil fuel derived sources by 2030.

There are many sustainable packaging options presently available. On my visit to the tradeshow Foodservice Australia Expo at the ICCS in May 2024, there was an overabundance of exhibitors promoting sustainable packaging made from corn, sugarcane, bamboo, and the newest entry, cassava, which in 2023 had a market rate value of nearly $2B and what Sustainable Packaging News (5) claims is the most suitable alternative to plastic and Styrofoam packaging. Seeing the beautiful options available was exciting, but this was also part of the problem: Where do you put these lovely single-use packages, especially when they are covered in food and drink elements?

I used Google to find the answer, and it left me still questioning what to put where, including cnet.com (6), which suggests the most important thing consumers can do to streamline the process is to find out which containers can and can’t be recycled in your specific area. I am unsure if I would have time to add that to my ‘to-do list’ before travelling to a business event. They offer some valid advice, bringing me back to my problem, don’t assume it can be recycled, unless you can rinse or wipe off any food residue, which may also be inconvenient. The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL)(7) agrees the best recycling practice is to empty, clean and dry the packaging before popping it in the recycling bin. However, like other global labelling programs, the ARL program attempts to identify what items go where through the actual food packing using symbols. Let’s face it: those symbols are often difficult to view, even if you understand what they mean.

Why do we care? In addition to helping reduce waste, remember that making the right and wrong decisions will make a big difference for locations that use personnel hand-sorting practices. If you have ever witnessed this practice, which I did in San Diego, California (PCMA Convening Leaders 2024) and in Las Vegas, Nevada (IMEX 2018), although necessary, it was not a pleasant procedure. Until we have a proper universal food waste disposal process, we will continue to stand in front of the bin, questioning: Where do we put this? The only reasonable response is to look at the signs and make your best judgement. Many businesses and organisations are working to solve food waste disposal and, until then, determine what goes where and what will come down to the consumer. Sadly, we will need compostable wipes (although those are under scrutiny) to clean our containers, eyeglasses to read the recyclable symbols, and a glossary of the food waste symbols for every location we visit.

Follow me on LinkedIn to learn more about other sustainable food waste practices, especially at business events. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-ott-barnett-cmp-emeritus-cmm-cae-a5530311/.

Links to References:

1. https://bottledwater.org/recycling/

2. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/sustainability/packaging-sustainability
3. https://iccsydney.com.au/news/reducing-and-diverting-waste/
4. https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2024/a-better-cup-for-all/
5. https://spnews.com/cassava-packaging/
6. https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/i-was-shocked-to-find-out-these-takeout-containers-arent-recyclable/
7. https://arl.org.au/about

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