Increase your public image.
Recent surveys show that 62% of Americans prefer to dine at an eco-friendly restaurant over one that is not. Practicing proper waste management and pollution prevention will be noticed and appreciated by the majority of your customers, and a positive image will increase sales.

Protect your public image.
Good pollution prevention practices are crucial to protecting your restaurant’s reputation. Nothing is more embarrassing and devastating to your business than having to close your doors due to a sewage backup or other threat to public or environmental health. This is exactly what can happen if you do not regularly clean your grease traps, properly manage your waste and minimize pollution.

Contaminated water runoff is a common form of restaurant pollution. This occurs when operators hose off sidewalks, parking lots and dumpster areas. The chemicals, grease and stray trash on the surface are carried by the water into nearby storm drains. Storm drains lead directly to lakes, streams or the ocean, so contaminated storm water will have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Water pollution harms aquatic life by:

• Clogging fish gills (choking them to death)
• Stimulating excessive algae growth which depletes oxygen levels in the water, causing fish and other aquatic life to die
• Turning the water foggy, which keeps the sunlight out and hampers aquatic plants’ abilities to perform photosynthesis

Polluted water is also harmful to humans as it is unsafe to drink, cook with or swim in. Additionally, fish and other marine animals that are not killed by the pollutants will absorb those toxins into their bodies, waiting to poison a seafood lover. Mercury poisoning is a common threat when eating certain varieties of seafood.

Pollution prevention not only saves aquatic life, but protects your customers’ health as well. Browse our Green Cleaning category for products that will help minimize or eliminate the pollutants your restaurant is adding to the planet’s bodies of water. Purchasing these products is also a step to becoming a Certified Green Commercial Kitchen™.

Do not dump down storm drains.
Storm drains run directly into bodies of water like streams, lakes or oceans, so any grease or chemicals that are either dumped down or runoff into storm drains instantly pollute and will harm aquatic life. Use dry cleaning methods for spills.
Using an absorbent like kitty litter to soak-up and sweep-up spills in the parking lot or dumpster area is safer for fresh water supplies than hosing spills into the nearest drain. Clean the vent hood filters regularly.
Restaurant cooking practices can release gases similar to those of diesel trucks. Regularly cleaning and maintaining your vent hoods will prevent interior and exterior air pollution. » Learn More Recycle your grease and oil.
Grease and oils can clog your restaurant’s drains, causing a sewage back-up. Collect your used fryer oil and grease, so it can be recycled into useful products, like biodiesel. » Learn More Buy and use green cleaning supplies.
There are many green Green Cleaning that are made using renewable and biodegradable ingredients and are just as effective as their toxic counterparts. » Learn More Buy ENERGY STAR® qualified products.
ENERGY STAR qualified equipment uses less energy to do the same amount of work as standard models. Using less energy reduces the amount of pollution sent into the atmosphere by the nation’s coal burning power plants.
See Qualifying Products