Restaurants get subsidies to limit take-away waste

Restaurants, caterers and shops in Brussels have received subsidies to implement a zero-waste policy, particularly when it comes to take-away meals. The Environnement.Brussels agency has divided €150,000 in total up among 19 businesses.

While take-away has saved many restaurants from going bankrupt since the start of the corona crisis, and certainly been convenient for customers, one consequence has not been so positive: the mountain of waste. Disposable food containers are filling up our rubbish bins more than ever before.

Now 19 restaurants are getting financial help to combat the problem. Nine of them are in a network of restaurants that use the same re-usable take-away containers. You pay a deposit when you pick up your food and get it back when you return the containers.

Should that not appeal to you, all nine of the restaurants – including Entre Nous in Saint-Gilles, Le Millefeuille in Ixelles and Pop-Pot in Forest – are happy to pack your meal in containers you bring in yourself.

Ecological impact

Other establishments outside this network are launching a deposit scheme, including Cookingo in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Glacier Gaston in Brussels-City. Shops are also getting in on the action, with OzFair, Bloum and Bulk Bar all getting subsidies to expand their zero-waste policies.

“We encourage catering businesses to consider the ecological and economic impact of their services and to think about possible solutions,” said Environnement.Brussels in a statement. “They can use this to position themselves in the market in relation to their customers and to the competition. Brussels Environment can coach them in these efforts.”

Photo courtesy Pop-Pot