Human Behaviour: Bars and Restaurants
Why errors occur concerning Waste Management.
Within this blog, I am going to explain how differences between our two states of thinking – System 1 (automatic) and System 2 (focused) result in poor waste practices within the hospitality industry. The solution to behavioural problems is to implement changes in human behaviour through education and training. Changes that Waste Warrior Solutions aims to provide the hospitality industry with in Cornwall.
Making drinks behind the bar and running food becomes an automatic and passive experience once you’ve picked up the basics. After a while you learn to allow your body to move while your brain is focused on something else. Whether that’s talking to someone whilst making cocktails or thinking about how many tables are left while you’re carrying food to a table. I’ve noticed the two types of thinking whilst working in a bar and I’ve recognised how automatic thinking contributes to errors in human behaviour, particularly concerning waste management behaviour.
Khaneman (2011) found that System 2 thinking requires attention and can be disrupted when attention is drawn away. There are tasks that only System 2 thinking can perform with a degree of reliability and accuracy. Currently, recycling behaviour is located in the System 2 side of the brain for a large proportion of staff in Cornwall’s hospitality sector. Meaning individuals are able to put things in the right bin under calm conditions. But as soon as peak time hits, System 1 thinking is enlisted, and correct waste management can fall by the wayside. Leading to issues of waste stream contamination and waste over-piling. The reason for issues like this occurring is a lack of training and education on correct waste management behaviour in hospitality. Staff members are “blind to their blindness”, they act without knowing the consequences of their actions. Until it’s too late and issues shown in the image below happen:
The training programme I am developing aims to give people the chance to move from: “Unconsciously incompetent recycler’s”- Staff members are not aware of pro-environmental behaviour/don’t care. To “Unconsciously competent recycler’s” – Allow correct waste management procedures and pro-environmental behaviour to become an embedded systemic routine, that can be carried out without conscious effort (Mavropoulos, 2009).
The Waste Warrior Solutions online training programme will alter pathways of learning to reduce waste and increase the proportion of materials being properly separated and recycled in the hospitality sector. Interactive games of dragging and dropping items into the right bin, videos of correct waste management procedures, increasing staff activity in nature and tracking progress through data analysis from waste audits, will work to increase business productivity and decrease costs on waste.
After a lot of flat packing and some pressure washing, I managed to clean up the back of house area and get everything looking nice and tidy. Keeping the back of house area clean and tidy will benefit waste management behaviour and consequently, the environment. I kept asking people to flat pack the cardboard properly and it eventually started to work!
Usually I would try and make sure the lid is closed, otherwise you risk a miss-collection. But I guess they saw how well it was separated and flat-packed!
I made sure to do the pressure washing on bin day, so I could get into all the cracks behind them, and this is what I found…
With heavy rain or more material falling into the cracks. All of this plastic was headed straight for Cornwall’s drainage system. Thankfully I managed to pick it out in time.
I decided to have a bit of fun with the pressure washer whilst I was at it.
Finished Result!
Having a tidy bin area helps staff treat waste with more care. If it’s gross and messy, staff are less likely to take the time to recycle properly!
