Catering sites: Collecting food in reusable containers

📣 Due to an upcoming change in the law, where single-use plastics will be banned, coming into place at the end of 2023, you might start to notice that the site you collect from donates their food in reusable containers that they need back.

Here are some guidelines you must follow in order to complete a successful collection involving reusable containers within our food safety requirements: 

• 📦 Ideally, the business should provide a reusable container
• 📦 When the business can't provide a container, Food Waste Heroes can use good grade containers (normally indicated by the presence of a wine glass and fork symbol on the container) in good condition with no visible cracks or other damage. Food Waste Heroes should wash their containers using hot soapy water before attending their collection.

If the container belongs to the business, it is mandatory you return them on a regular basis.

• 🥝 In the description of your listing, please specify that requesters need to bring their own containers.
• 👍 After washing your hands, using clean utensils and on a clean surface in your kitchen, transfer the desired amount of food from the business' container into the requester's container.
• 💫 The site will have a thorough cleaning process, but please remember to wash the containers before returning them to the site.

⚠️Whether the food is donated blast chilled or hot, please read our FAQ here on how to redistribute foods safely depending on their temperature.

📦 Sites will usually donate food prepared on site "in bulk" (i.e. 2 or more portions in one container) and allergen information alone is sufficient (no need for a full ingredients list). Please read more on bulk food donations here.

• If food prepared on site is donated in individual portions, it must have a full ingredient list (not just allergen information). ⚠️