Creating a more circular approach.
We’re committed to reducing waste and making the most of the resources we use, from our kitchens and suppliers to the schools we serve. We continually review how waste is sorted, recovered and managed, while monitoring contamination and environmental performance. We also work with our suppliers to improve how products are delivered and encourage children to recycle and compost responsibly through education and engagement in schools.
Pre-Order Systems
48-hour ordering means parents can easily update future orders and explore a wide range of meals, helping to prevent menu fatigue and reduce food waste. School meals also cut down on household packaging too!
Responsible Packaging
Our compostable, recyclable and reusable packaging helps schools reduce waste without compromising on food safety, freshness or quality.
Classroom Campaigns
We tackle waste through in-class campaigns and educational school talks, helping children understand the importance of reducing waste, recycling and using resources responsibly.
Supply Management
Advanced ordering through the Lunch Bag app, paired with our forecasting technology means we tackle waste before it happens. We only order what we need, reducing unnecessary food waste on a macro scale!
Providing The Right Options
We encourage meal variety to keep kids engaged. Sticking to the same order can lead to boredom and unfinished lunches, causing parents to think the quality has changed – rest assured, it hasn’t! We need school staff to support us by encouraging parents not to send additional lunch and snacks to school ‘just in case’. When this happens, waste is inevitable!
Efficient Delivery
Our central production facility and efficient delivery routes help us provide safe, consistent meals to schools across Ireland while minimising transport and lowering our environmental impact.
Managing Food Waste
We take a practical approach to reducing and managing food waste throughout our school meal service. From helping children and parents understand what has been eaten to separating food waste at school and ensuring it is managed responsibly, we work to reduce unnecessary waste at every stage.
Leftover Boxes
We send leftover boxes home with children. This helps keep parents informed, allowing them to see what has been eaten. From this, parents can adjust future orders and adapt evening meals. This model helps reduce waste and also encourages environmental awareness.
Bins On Site
Students will separate their waste at school and put it into bins on site. Food waste is put into a brown food bin, and compostable containers are neatly stacked. This hands-on approach helps children learn about waste management and encourages environmental awareness too!
Waste Collection
We will collect the waste from your school and our waste partner will then separate the food waste, ensuring it is managed in the most environmentally responsible way.
How We Manage Our Waste
We work with trusted waste recycling companies, including ROC Recycling Solutions, F.S.M and Mr Binman. Our approach includes ongoing waste segregation, continuous contamination monitoring and proactive material recovery, supported by monthly ESG reporting and quarterly performance reviews.
Monitoring & Reviewing
We use monthly ESG insight reports and quarterly performance reviews to monitor our environmental performance and identify opportunities to improve.
Sorting & Recovery
We focus on ongoing waste segregation and contamination monitoring, helping to improve the amount of material that can be recovered and recycled. We also work to optimise material recovery across our operations.
Working Together
We work with trusted waste recycling partners and engage our employees in responsible waste management. Training and employee engagement help support effective waste segregation across our operations.
Our 2025 Impact
In 2025, our waste management process produced 275,000 kWh of renewable energy, including 96,250 kWh of electricity and 151,250 kWh of heat. It also resulted in 670.5 tonnes of CO₂ saved, 247.5 tonnes of organic fertiliser produced and €16,500 in avoided landfill costs from food waste. The renewable energy, electricity and heat generated was enough to power 27 homes for a year. The fertiliser produced would be enough to cover approximately 4,960 acres, or 312.5 Croke Parks. The 670 tonnes of CO₂ avoided is equivalent to removing approximately 145 cars from the road for a year.
Reducing Contamination
Improving how waste is sorted helps more material enter the recycling process. Contaminated plastics fell from 27 tonnes to a projected 1.5 tonnes, representing a 94% reduction. The projected recycling conversion rate is above 95%, with approximately 51 additional tonnes of CO₂e avoided.
Cardboard
Cardboard recycling saved approximately 4,790 trees, 1,127,120 kWh of energy and 366 tonnes of CO₂. Our projected 2026 figures increase this to approximately 8,160 trees saved, 1,920,000 kWh of energy saved and 624 tonnes of CO₂ avoided.
Plastic
39.6 tonnes of plastic were recycled, avoiding approximately 79 tonnes of CO₂e and displacing approximately 71 tonnes of oil equivalent. Our projected 2026 figures show plastic recycling increasing to 105.7 tonnes, with approximately 211 tonnes of CO₂e avoided and 190 tonnes of oil equivalent displaced.
Aluminium
We recycled 3.7 tonnes of aluminium, saving 51,800 kWh of energy and avoiding 33 tonnes of CO₂. Our projected 2026 figures show this increasing to 22 tonnes of aluminium recycled, 308,000 kWh of energy saved and 198 tonnes of CO₂ avoided