By Hamza Bailla
60 per cent of all food produced in Canada — 35.5 million tonnes — is lost or wasted, and about a third of that wasted food could be “rescued” and sent to communities in need across the country. The value of all food that is lost or wasted in Canada is a staggering $49 billion, which is enough to feed everyone in Canada for five months.
The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste by Second Harvest
As a newcomer to Canada, the first thing you notice, after the Canadian border officer checks your passport and papers, is the Tim Horton’s food chain all over each city or neighbourhood you cross.
As your first step to fit in, you visit your local Tim Hortons store, and you may realize that it’s more than a profitable food chain. It’s a social space for Canadians and visitors from all walks of life where they meet, shelter from the cold, get free wifi, negotiate their work contracts, or have a family meeting.
However, the chain has undeniable problems with its carbon footprint and environmental impact. It still contributes to a huge amount of waste from its cups and packaging, while it’s not doing much to reduce its damage, which doesn’t sit well with its announced commitments.
Let’s not be too harsh, the pandemic did put brakes on the whole industry’s plans to introduce more reused packaging systems in place and added more health and safety issues to collate or to use as another reason for climate inaction.
On the bright side, however, Tim Hortons has the tools and the incentives for customers to be more eco-friendly. There are three main fronts where the company can practically improve its environmental track record that I recommend below:
1. Pushing for more Reusable Packaging
Making people bring their reusable cups or boxes is no easy task. Let’s not forget that single-use cups are super convenient and the recycling hype is doing a great job making us less guilty. Even for the so-called-climate-conscience people (like me); if you count on people’s climate consciousness, convenience wins.
So let’s make customers win when they use more reusable packaging. The company can offer special deals for customers – apart from the no-body-knows 10-cent discount- like offering permanent-significant discounts for refillable users, offering more app points, paying for reusable cups by points, and special weekly offers. This will create at least a minority of less waste customers that will grow in the near future.
2. Improving employee training
When I bring my Tim Horton reusable cup, 75 percent of the cases they just give me a paper cup instead and ask me to refill it myself, which is kind of funny.
The main reason for that is that the COVID pandemic has degraded the quality of many food chain services due to labour shortages. Low-paying jobs are struggling to retain workers and employers are hiring more with less training. Also, health concerns are raised when customers are handling their cups.
However, proper training will certainly reduce a lot of waste. Double cupping is still a common unnecessary practice, which has to be scrapped to reduce thousands of unused cups being wasted. Also, workers can be trained to handle refills safely while respecting health requirements.
3. Reducing Drive-thru Service Pollution
Going back to convenience, it’s easier to wait for your turn in the comfort of your car and then order and wait for your order, while your engine is on idle, or moving slowly. Also, drive-thru customers are prioritized compared to in-store customers. Companies can experiment with different strategies to incentivize clients to park and get their order- most Timmies’ parking lots are spacious.
It’s important to address the environmental impact and waste generated by the restaurant industry in Canada, not just limited to Tim Hortons. It’s possible to reduce their carbon footprint and waste, improve their public image, and still maintain profitability. While a radical approach may not be feasible in the Canadian context, a combination of incentives and goodwill can result in a significant positive impact.
Hamza Bailla is a passionate data enthusiast with a strong interest in exploring the intersection of media, social sciences, and data. Throughout his journey from his hometown in Marrakech, Morocco to his current home in Ottawa, Canada, he has delved into various fields, ranging from healthcare to social sciences, where he has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research. His ultimate goal is to leverage the power of data to enhance analysis and improve decision-making. He remains committed to automation and analytics in his work and also last participated as a keynote panelist in our fall 2023 virtual insights career fair and case competition.
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