Waste sorting plan: which bin belongs where?
Every venue already has bins, and not one of them has anything written on it. So the greasy pizza box lands in the paper and a single glove goes in the food waste, and the whole load is re-graded and billed as general waste. Say what your venue makes — the bins per station, the labels and the check on your collection rhythm all follow.
How to build your waste sorting plan
- 1
Tick what your venue has
Back door, prep, the line, the dishwash, the bar, the coffee station, the fryer, the dining room, the office. Waste is not made by a building but at a spot, so only what you tick gets bins — and with no fryer, used cooking oil simply does not exist here.
- 2
Say what you actually separate
Every fraction you do not keep apart falls into the general waste and is billed at general-waste rates. The tool names those fractions at the top, because that is exactly what you cannot see by looking at your own bins.
- 3
Print the bin plan and the labels
The plan goes to the bin store, the labels go on the lids. What a label says is not what may go in — it is what may NOT, and where that thing goes instead.
The six fractions, and what ruins them
The litres per guest are planning figures for sizing a bin, not a measurement: loose, uncompacted, which is how waste leaves a kitchen and how a bin fills up. Count your own bins for one week and adjust them.
| Fraction | Litres per guest | May stand for | What ruins the load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food waste | 0.6 l | 2 days | Packaging around the food → Plastic & cans · Gloves & cloths → General waste · Frying oil → Used cooking oil |
| Paper & card | 0.5 l | no limit — volume only | Greasy pizza boxes → General waste · Napkins & kitchen roll → Food waste · Drink cartons → Plastic & cans |
| Plastic & cans | 0.4 l | no limit — volume only | Food remains → Food waste · Polystyrene → General waste · Cleaning-chemical cans → licensed collector |
| Glass | 0.3 l | no limit — volume only | Drinking glasses → General waste · Plates & ceramics → General waste · Metal lids & caps → Plastic & cans |
| Used cooking oil | 0.02 l | no limit — volume only | Food remains → Food waste · Bin bags & packaging → General waste · Cleaning-chemical cans → licensed collector |
| General waste | 0.4 l | 3 days | Food remains → Food waste · Cardboard → Paper & card · Bottles & jars → Glass |
The words on this sheet
Five terms that come back in every collection contract and every inspection.
- Fraction
- One waste stream collected separately and billed separately — food waste, paper and card, plastic and cans, glass, used cooking oil, general waste.
- Contaminated load
- A container with something in it that does not belong. The collector re-grades the whole load as general waste and charges the dearest rate, even if only one bag was wrong.
- Biowaste
- Food and kitchen waste. Since the EU waste directive it must be collected separately across the Union, and it is the only fraction that cannot quietly wait for the lorry.
- Collection rhythm
- How often a container is emptied per week. Container size times collections is what you can actually get rid of — below that, the bin is full before collection day.
- Standing time
- How long a fraction may stand before it becomes a problem in its own right. Glass and card have none; food waste in summer does, and that is why a terrace has flies in August.
Frequently asked questions
Does a restaurant have to separate its food waste?
Yes. The EU Waste Framework Directive has required separate collection of biowaste in every member state since 1 January 2024, and hospitality is a large producer. Exactly how — which container, what proof, which exemption for small quantities — is set by each country and often by each region, so check your collection contract and your municipality.
How much waste does a restaurant make per guest?
Loose and uncompacted, an independent venue runs around half a litre of food waste per guest, roughly as much cardboard, a little less plastic and metal, and a smaller volume of glass — strongly dependent on your concept and on how much you butcher and trim yourself. Use those figures to size a bin, then count your own bins for a week.
What does a wrongly sorted container cost?
More than most owners think. A collector who finds contamination re-grades the entire load as general waste and charges that rate — so one bag of general waste in the cardboard costs you the difference on the whole container, not on that one bag.
Where may used cooking oil go?
To a licensed collector, in a sealed drum. Never down the drain, where it sets and blocks both your own pipe and the sewer, and never in the general waste. In most countries oil is actually worth something, so ask your collector what they pay for it.
Why is the bin tied to the station and not to the fraction?
Because nobody walks across a kitchen holding a handful of waste. Whoever is at the dishwash scraping a plate uses the bin that stands there — and if that is the wrong one, that is where your fraction gets contaminated. So this plan places the bins per station rather than as one row at the back.
How often should a food-waste bin be emptied?
More often than the rest. Food waste starts to smell and draw pests within a few days, certainly in a warm bin store in summer — so two collections a week is the minimum for most venues, and the tool says so whenever your rhythm is slower than your fraction can stand.
This is a house document, not a statement of law. What must be separated, from what date, in which container and with what proof differs per country, per region and per collection contract — always follow your own contract and your municipality's rules.