According to a news published in Chicago Tribune, the Department of Aviation has issued a new environment policy that will likely impact approximately 250 restaurants at Midway Airports and O'Hare International. They are banned from using non-compostable material like Styrofoam. The new policy bans all petroleum based bags, utensils, and containers. It requires the waste to be recycled by the end of the year.

Eco-Friendly Policies With Regard to Chicago Airport Restaurants

The restaurants at Chicago airport from now on will go green and eco-friendly. The restaurants at two airports, Midway and O'Hare International, will be obliged under the new policy put in place to prevent them from using non-compostable material like Styrofoam. The new policy guidelines issued by the Depart of Aviation will impact around 250 restaurants as well as concessions operations at these two airports.

The policy requires a complete ban on all petroleum based or plastic products like bags, containers, trash bags, and utensils. In addition, all office papers must be completely recyclable. All restaurant wastes will have to be separated into three categories. Apart from trash that ends up in landfills, the two other categories include compostable and recyclable trash. In addition, there some more eco-friendly policies that must be complied by concessions and restaurants by the year 2016. By 2016, they will need to ensure that at least 20 percent of the food on their menu uses sustainable ingredients such as animals that are grass-fed and chicken that is free-range.

The food must not be genetically modified and it should also not be contaminated with antibiotics. In addition to these measures, it is also required that the products they use in cleaning must be green. All foods that are left over at airports, according to the plans of Aviation Department, will be donated to soup kitchens and local shelters. All concessions and restaurants must comply with these policy measures by the year end or be ready for the penalties.

Benefits of Using Eco-Friendly Policies in Restaurants

Adopting a green and organic lifestyle is more in the news today than barely a few years ago. The restaurants that use eco-friendly promotional items and sustainable ingredients are more sought-after by the customers than the traditional restaurants. While the restaurants may find it costlier to procure organic ingredients, the cost evens out and profitability is assured to these restaurant owners because increasingly more customers patronize organic restaurants. That's mainly because people are aware of the fact that the food procured through traditional methods of farming damages environment and health, so they are ready to spend on organic products, more so because health is everyone's concern.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2013/04/22/chicago-to-mandate-eco-friendly.html