A simple daily waste log (item + reason + amount) does two things almost nobody expects.

First, it shows patterns: “four loaves thrown away this week because delivery came warm” → fix the supplier. “Six portions of soup binned — too much cooked” → smaller batches.

One London café cut food waste by 38 % in three months just by looking at the log every Monday morning. That’s £1800 straight to the bottom line.

Second, when the EHO asks “what happened to that out-of-temperature delivery last Tuesday?”, you have the answer instantly: “Disposed of safely, recorded here.” No fine.

Waste logging feels like extra work until you see the money it saves.