Diners in Dunbar need no longer feel embarrassed to ask for a ‘doggy bag’ for the leftover food they’re not able to finish while dining out.
The Scottish Government’s ‘Good to Go’ scheme, run by Zero Waste Scotland has launched across Scotland following a successful pilot scheme in 2014, which saw an average 42 per cent reduction in food waste per restaurant.
Eateries throughout the region are being urged to sign up to the initiative, which provides free Good to Go boxes for leftovers. According to Zero Waste Scotland research, two-fifths of diners say they are too embarrassed to ask restaurant staff for a ‘doggy bag’, while three-quarters of those surveyed stated that they would welcome being offered the option.
Ylva Haglund, food waste campaigns manager at Zero Waste Scotland, pictured left, said: “Of the 16 restaurants in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Irvine and East Kilbride that took part in the pilot campaign, the average food waste figure fell by 42% as diners took home their leftovers – and 92% of those stated that they later ate the leftovers. Our research showed that if restaurants across Scotland routinely offered doggy bags to customers, it could save the equivalent of almost 800,000 full meals going in the bin every year.
“Additional feedback from the restaurants suggested that the pilot also prompted them to implement additional food waste reduction measures, such as adjusting portion sizes, changing menu options, and checking if diners actually wanted sides such as chips or vegetables before serving them.”
Diners are also being asked to contact their favourite restaurants via Twitter and Facebook to tell them they’d like to see the Good to Go service offered.
Any restaurant or food business of small to medium size in Scotland can apply to sign up to Good to Go and receive a free starter pack of Good to Go doggy bags, stickers, posters and branding.
Dunbar Businesses ‘Good to Go’ are:
Royal Mackintosh Hotel
Splatz
The Pine Marten
Dunmuir Hotel
Caledonian Cupcakes
The Store at Belhaven Fruit Farm
If your interested in signing up your business to the scheme or if you would just like to find out more, please contact paul@sustainingdunbar.org