Yelo is a cafe with sustainability and community in front of the mind. Based in Perth. In the suburbs of Trigg, Mount Hawthorn, and Subiaco, they source their bean from grower direct, ethical, and sustainable coffee farms, serve their products in eco-friendly BioPak takeaway packaging, and were one of the first to sign up for Australia’s national composting service for foodservice packaging.
Under the service, customers are able to dispose of used coffee cups and BioPak compostable takeaway food packaging in specially designed collection bins placed at their local cafes or workplaces. The special compost bins are collected weekly and sent to commercial facilities to be composted. This diverts waste to landfills and in only eight weeks, it is turned into nutritious soil compost for gardens or farms.
BioPak founder Richard Fine said the aim of the service was to ensure that the environmental benefit of compostable, single-use disposable packaging could be maximised, helping customers in reducing the environmental impact of their business.
We connected with Yelo’s owner, Mike Pond, to learn about his experience with Australia’s first comprehensive national composting service for foodservice packaging.
Why did you jump onto this service at the first chance?
This is a fantastic initiative, which we believe will help divert potentially tonnes of waste away from landfills and turned into compost that can be used for commercial-level agriculture – at no cost to our customers
As a food establishment, what is the benefit of this composting collection service?
The services would allow patrons to enjoy the convenience of disposable takeaway packaging, including coffee cups while doing the right thing by the environment.
Another perk is that the composting service will save us more than 20% a year in waste bills!
What is your stance on sustainability?
We are big supporters of the concept of a truly circular economy, using rapidly renewable and sustainably sourced material that return nutrients back into the soil at the end of their life
How do your customers feel about this compost service?
The reaction from our customers has been fantastic so far.
