Kiirtoidu restorani keskkonnasõbralikumad lahendused Sõle McDonald'si näitel

Abstract

Valides lõputöö teemaks kiirtoidu restorani keskkonnasõbralikumad lahendused oli autori eesmärgiks anda ülevaade Sõle McDonald´si hetke olukorrast, leida alternatiivseid lahendusi kasutuses olevatele pakenditele ja tekkinud jäätmete sorteerimiseks Sõle McDonald’si näitel. Samuti sooviti anda ülevaade, milliste tegevustega on ülemaailmne McDonald’s tegelenud keskkonna teemadel varem ja kuhu nad on jõudnud praeguseks. Lõputöö kirjutamisel sai autor teada, et ettevõte tegeleb juba kümneid aastaid kiirtoitlustuse keskkonnasõbralikumaks muutmisega ja leiab pidevalt uusi lahendusi ning teeb kõik, et loobuda plastikust igaveseks. Samas on ettevõttel veel palju teha leidmaks uusi lahendusi ja neid ka rakendada. Lõputöö tulemusteks on autor leidnud lahendused vee- ja energiakuludele, pakkudes, et restoran võiks kasutusele võtta liigutustele reageerivad LED valgustid. See tähendaks et, kui külastaja astub tualetti, läheb tuli põlema ja kui külastaja lahkub ja ei toimu liigutusi, siis tuli kustub ise. Külmikuid, külmkappe ja grille ei ole planeeritud lähitulevikul asendada väiksema energiakuluga seadmetega, kuna need on kallid ja nende vahetus majanduslikel põhjustel pole võimalik. Elektrikulu saaks optimeerida ka päikesepaneelidega. Sõle McDonald´s restorani katusele saaks paigaldada paneelid ja need toodaks osaliselt vajaminevat energiat. Päike paistab restorani katusele ja seega oleks see hea lahendus elektrikulude vähendamiseks. Veekulu vähendamiseks saaks kasutada väikese vooluga WC-potte ja tõhusaid segisteid, mis kasutavad vähem vett. Kui restoranis tehakse tulevikus remont, saaks paigaldada ka looduslikku või põuakindlat haljastust, samuti oleks võimalik sademevee majandamine selle kogumise ja taaskasutamise abil. Veel pakub autor, et ettevõte võiks loobuda paberil reklaamidest. McDonald’sil on olemas reklaamimisvõimalused lisaks oma rakendusele ka Instagramis, Facebook’is, Youtube'is ja linnaruumis. Kasutusele võiks võtta pabertšekkide asemel digitaalsed. Kassade ees on olemas väike ekraan, mis võimaldab külastajatel kontrollida oma tellimust enne tasumist. Sellele ekraanile võiks tulla QR-kood, mida inimene saab oma telefoniga skaneerida ja seejärel on tšekki võimalik kuvada digitaalselt oma telefonist. Sama asja saaks teha ka iseteeninduskioskites, mille kaudu tehakse suurem osa tellimustest. Mõlemad lahendused aitaksid säästa keskkonnareostust mis tekib seda paberit tootes ja sellest vabanedes. Paberkõrtest parimad lahendused oleksid nende loobumine või tugevamast papist kõrte tegemine, kuna kõrre kaua vedelikus hoidmise tulemusel hakkab kõrs lagunema, läheb katki ja ei ole enam kasutatav. The following thesis Environmentally friendly fast food restaurant solutions on the example of Sõle McDonald's is the big problem is all fast food places, which are not very environmentally friendly and are one of the largest producers of waste in the world. As the topic of her dissertation, the author chose the most environmentally friendly solutions of the fast food restaurant, because she works in fast food and sees how their waste management works and what types of packaging are used. In compiling the dissertation, the author offers alternative solutions for a fast food restaurant. By choosing more environmentally friendly solutions for a fast food restaurant as the topic, the author's goal was to give an overview of the current situation of Sõle McDonald's and to find alternative solutions for the used packaging and for sorting the generated waste on the example of said restaurant. It was also intended to provide an overview of what McDonald's has been doing at a global level on environmental issues in the past and where they have come to date. Writing the dissertation, the author learned that the company has been making fast food more environmentally friendly for decades and is constantly finding new solutions and doing everything to give up plastic forever. At the same time, the company still has a long way to go to find new solutions and implement them. As a result of the dissertation, the author has found solutions for water and energy costs, suggesting that the restaurant could use LED-responsive luminaires. This would mean that if the guest enters the toilet, the light would turn on and once the guest leaves and there are no movements, the light would switch off on its own. Refrigerators, freezers and grills are not planned to be replaced in the near future with less energy-intensive appliances, as they are expensive and cannot be replaced for economic reasons. At the same time electricity consumption could also be optimized with solar panels. Panels could be installed on the roof of the McDonald's restaurant and they would produce some of the energy needed. The sun shines on the roof of the restaurant so it would be a good solution to reduce electricity costs. Low-flow toilets and efficient faucets that use less water could be used to reduce water consumption. If the restaurant is renovated in the future, natural or drought-resistant landscaping could also be installed, and rainwater could be managed by collecting and reusing it. The author also suggests that the company could opt out of paper ads. In addition to its app, McDonald’s has advertising opportunities on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and different urban spaces. Digital checks could be used instead of paper checks. There is a small screen in front of the checkout that allows guests to check their order before paying. A QR code could appear on this screen, which the person can scan with their phone and then the check can be displayed digitally from their phone. The same thing could be done at self-service kiosks, through which most orders are placed. Both solutions would help save the environmental pollution that occurs during the production and disposal of this paper. The best solutions for paper straws would be to give them up or make straws of stronger cardboard, because if the straw is kept in the liquid for a long time, the straw will break down and is no longer usable. All packaging could be made from recycled material, as was the case with the Big Mac burger box. The author found two solutions for the cups. The first would be for guests to give staff their own bottle or a reusable cup for the beverage and the drink could be poured into that. The second idea would be to try testing a deposit system for reusable cups. In the UK, McDonald's partnered with Loop. In Estonia, Ringo offers a similar service with its packaging circulation. The system works in such a way that instead of a cup of a drink, visitors can borrow a cup for a small deposit. The dish can then be returned to any McDonald's restaurant and the deposit will be refunded. The packaging circuit cleans the cups according to sanitary requirements, disinfects them and then re-uses them at McDonald's. The same system could be tried for burger packaging. There is a small amount of plastic left in McDonald's restaurants and the author offers alternatives to get rid of it. Packaging such as lids for lettuce bowls can be replaced with recycled packaging, recycled cardboard or organic material that is biodegradable. The cups of ice cream could be replaced with a waffle cup and this way the plastic cups are no longer needed. In order to implement waste sorting, it is necessary to change and increase the existing waste bins so that guests can sort their waste. Sorting bins should be installed not only for guests to the hall but also for staff in backrooms. During the training, employees are taught sorting. Illustrative bin labels should be introduced to make the sorting process easier for people to understand. It is necessary to make a separate box for drinks, where visitors can pour the remaining drink, a box for waste paper, a separate box for plastic and a separate box for food waste. Analyzing this thesis and the writing process, the author finds that McDonald’s is on the right track and the author’s alternative solutions for the restaurant are applicable. In the case of alternative solutions, the author finds it difficult today to find solutions for fast food that would be completely environmentally friendly, as natural resources are still being used, the use of which affects the environment. It is not possible for fast food restaurants to be 100% environmentally friendly, as restaurants also use wooden materials instead of plastic, which are harvested in the forest. At the same time, the author believes that these solutions are better than nothing, and by finding these solutions, McDonald's restaurants have improved over the years.