Stories From the Trails: Fairmont Banff Springs Gets Smart with Food Waste
Fairmont Banff Springs has taken a bold step in the fight against food waste. In April of this year, the hotel rolled out a brand new zero-waste tech system in its kitchens with one goal: to slash waste and make their operations greener.
The system will help to turn insights into action by collecting valuable data to identify patterns like overproduction and high-waste menu items. Armed with new findings, the hotel is already making smarter choices that reduce this waste but still offer exceptional dining experiences.
How Does the System Work?
This new zero-waste tech system ‘Orbisk’, uses AI image recognition technology to monitor food waste in professional kitchens. It measures the amount of food going into waste through a weighing scale and a camera, both attached to the kitchens’ compost bins. Every time something is disposed of, a picture is automatically taken by the device. The collected data can then be analysed.
The hotel has placed five Orbisk scales in strategic locations in the hotel’s kitchens to cover the vast majority of culinary operations and the staff cafeteria.
This system is smart. It can identify the type of food, the amount of food, time of disposal, and the reason for disposal. It also captures if the food comes from a pan, a cutting board, a metal sleeve or a plate – this helps to pinpoint where in the meal preparation process the food was lost.
Atticus Garant, Executive Chef at Fairmont Banff Springs shared, “Although we won’t have comparative year-over-year data until next April, Orbisk has already proven valuable. Its real-time insights have raised awareness and allowed us to make immediate adjustments to rotating menus, service, and preparations where we’ve identified excessive waste patterns.”
Turing Insights into Waste Reduction
Just seven months in to using Orbisk, the team at Banff Springs has already made impressive strides.
In their banquet production kitchen, Chef Atticus says they’ve identified waste patterns particularly with items like soups and sauces which they have now cut down on. And at the Vermillion Room buffet, data showed early on that baked goods were being wasted in large quantities. To address this, they cut down on these items and introduced a system where staff could enjoy the leftover pastries.
Most impressively, this smart system showed how the seasons can have an impact on food waste. As the weather began to cool in late September, the team saw a shift in their staff cafeteria. There was an increase in fresh vegetable waste and a decrease in carbohydrate-rich foods. With this data, they adjusted production by offering smaller batches of vegetables and larger portions of items like potatoes and rice.
Data is a Team Project
At Fairmont Banff Springs, the process requires a committed and consistent team to ensure all necessary data is tracked accurately. From there, the data needs to be filtered, and actionable opportunities identified, which requires admin time and strategic alignment across the operation to achieve the best results, says Chef Atticus.
While Fairmont Banff Springs offers a localized solution, it also addresses a critical part of the much larger global issue of food waste. In late 2022, the Town of Banff passed a new bylaw requiring all non-residential sector entities to separate food waste from general waste, as part of a broader initiative to achieve 70 percent waste diversion by 2028. Enforcement began in 2023.
But the Orbisk system at Fairmont Banff Springs isn’t just about cutting waste - it’s part of a bigger commitment to sustainability that aligns with both the destination’s vision for tourism and Canada’s environmental goals. By reducing food waste, the hotel is helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources, and even save some money along the way.
This system is just one piece of the puzzle. Fairmont Banff Springs is taking many steps to reduce its environmental footprint. From offering Tesla charging stations to donating leftover toiletries and even growing microgreens on-site, sustainability is thoughtfully woven into the hotel experience.
Find out more about Fairmont Banff Springs sustainability commitment.
Stories from the Trails is a series sharing learning, success, and insights, from our members and partners as we journey together towards the 10-Year Vision for Tourism. This story embodies the Smart Tourism and Nature Positive and Climate Action Trail.
Lead Tourism for Good
Share your story! What initiatives are happening in your business or organization that support our shared vision for tourism? Email us! memberservices@banfflakelouise.com