This article was produced and shared by Wrapex

“Waste not, want not” – these are golden words to live by for today’s professional kitchens. Faced with ballooning expenses and a growing pressure to operate more sustainably, it’s no surprise that finding ways to reduce the amount of food and materials thrown out is becoming an increasingly important priority for many.

Wrapping materials are one of the often-overlooked contributors to waste in the kitchen but never fear! Supporting caterers with the right equipment can make it easy for them to cut waste as well as film, foil and parchment use.

Here are five top tips from Prowrap for taking material waste off the menu.

1. Only use what material you need

It goes without saying, but if someone cuts off too much wrapping film, then they have created unnecessary waste.

Accurate, precise cuts are the key to ensuring that only the right amount of material is used, and there is no better way of guaranteeing them than by using a purpose-built dispenser. With the ability to simply load, pull to length, and press the lid, kitchen staff can guarantee the perfect length is cut, every time.

2. Protect your rolls

In terms of wasted wrapping material, the odd offcut here and there might be the most common form, but it’s hard to waste more at once than when an entire roll gets damaged before it’s done with. Protection-wise, conventional cutterboxes just don’t stack up. Cardboard deteriorates over time as it’s exposed to moisture, grease, and fat, reducing its durability and running the risk of prematurely damaging the roll. Plus, with the boxes being made from cardboard, there’s always the risk that an accidental drop leads the material being left unusable.

Dispensers solve this problem with a hard-wearing durable shell that keeps wrapping materials safe until they’re ready to use. Plus, with easy-clean designs, there’s little risk of accidental contamination and early spoilage.

3. Keep dispensers in circulation

So, you’ve bought a dispenser, and it’s reached the end of a long life spent helping you reduce waste. But what now?

There’s no need to just throw used dispensers out. At Prowrap, we run a dispenser recycling scheme that helps kitchens give their old, unused, or defective dispensers a second life. We collect old dispensers, regardless of the brand or condition, and recycle as much of them as possible, re-using the parts we can across our Prowrap range and keep their raw materials in the loop.

4. Take staff with you

Getting the most out of any investment means ensuring that the people using it know how to do so effectively. Dispensers, films, foils, and parchment are no exception. Staff should be shown how to load rolls, set the required length, use the cutting mechanism safely and store the dispenser between uses.

It is also worth including wrapping guidance in induction training and checking that replacement rolls are compatible with the dispenser. Clear instructions can help teams avoid excessive pull-through, incorrect cuts and damaged materials.

A short refresher can be useful when new equipment or new film, foil or parchment formats are introduced.

5. Choose the right products

Another way to eliminate wasteful cutting is to eliminate cutting entirely. Pre-cut foils and parchment reels make this possible, providing a ready-to-use format that takes waste out of the kitchen.

Prowrap offers pre-cut foil sheets designed to eliminate tearing and measuring and cut waste. Available in sizes from 230 x 270mm through to extra large size 300 x 400mm, and in different thicknesses, these recyclable solutions are ideal for minimising waste to landfill. Plus, we can provide baking paper reams perfectly sized for large scale baking that are wholly biodegradable and compostable, taking even more waste out of day-to-day operations.

That’s a wrap

Small changes to wrapping routines can help professional kitchens reduce material waste without disrupting day-to-day operations. By choosing the right dispenser, protecting rolls, training staff and selecting an appropriate product format, caterers can make film, foil and parchment go further.

For more information about Prowrap’s dispensers, refill range and pre-cut formats, visit www.prowrap.co.uk