There are times when a personal service contract may incorporate a food vendor in service delivery. We are offering a few environmental considerations for the contracting of food vendors. It could also be that a program or service incorporates food as a part of service deliver and these suggestions could be used as a way to improve service delivery with environmental considerations.
- Do you purchase food products or supplies such as snacks or meals that will have less waste disposal because of less packaging and the ability to compost food waste?
- Please describe the packaging that is used to purchase or serve food and know we have a preference for reusable, recyclable and biodegradable materials.
- Please describe how you avoid the use of Styrofoam products.
- Food is provided on platters that can be returned or in brown paper bags with some recycled content and no print.
- Please describe how you avoid individually wrapped food, but if unavoidable how you seek reusable or recyclable materials other than plastic.
- Please describe how you encourage the use of reusable plates, utensils, glasses, mugs and serving ware.
- Describe how you seek to use napkins, if included, are unbleached and made of at least 50% post-consumer recycled content.
- Describe how you try to incorporate the use of pitchers with tap water or juice are provided rather than disposable water or juice bottles.
- Please describe how you seek locally grown food and purchase it when available.
- If you cater do you arrange for any potential leftovers to be donated to an organization that will use it for its intended purpose? If you need an organization to use try Fork It Over! Which links businesses with food rescue agencies to reduce hunger and waste. Join the many grocers, restaurants and caterers in the Portland metropolitan area that are part of this effort.