The Zero Waste International Alliance defines "Zero-Waste" as "The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials without burning them, and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health."
There is an emphasis on the word ALL and it seems that Indonesia's new Zero-Waste restaurant "Ijen" has all of its bases covered. From the floors to the menus, the restaurant uses recycled and reusable materials. The candles on the tables are even made from recycled wine bottles and burn left over oil from the kitchen.. but thats just the design. The food and plating is zero-waste as well. The menu contains locally sourced produce that is sustainable as well as line-caught fish fresh from water cooked over a simple wood-fire. The restaurant also works with Bali Sustainable Seafood, whose fisherman use a hand-reeling process to make sure that they’re only catching what’s needed.
Karen Day, who is the director of communications for Potato Head Beach Club that houses the restaurant said “We wanted to prove that it’s possible, and hopefully inspire others in our industry to follow suit. While the issue of food waste and plastic pollution is a global problem clogging up landfills and our oceans, we see it first-hand by being nestled along the beach in Bali. We’re really pleased that so many of our industry peers have approached us to ask how they do this at their establishments. Many visitors that have joined us simply because they were already at the Beach Club have been surprised to learn that it’s a zero-waste initiative,”
Hopefully we see more restaurants follow suit and use Ijen as a leading example! Learn more about Ijen here!
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