Sustainability

We are committed to sustainable practices. We source ingredients locally whenever possible, minimise waste, and use eco-friendly packaging.

Committed to Sustainability

We are constantly exploring new ways to reduce our environmental footprint and contribute to a healthier future for our children.

Below are some measures we have taken in recent years to reduce the environmental impact of Ashdale Catering:

We have increased the number of plant-based menu options each day for our students
We use compostable food containers
In September 2026 we will be supplying each child with a reusable cutlery set which they can take home
All other materials used are recyclable
We have recycling facilities for food waste, plastics and cardboard on-site
We have on-site returnable bottle collections to support the local charity Feed Cork
We use local suppliers where possible and we are a member of the Guaranteed Irish community
All our food waste and compostable pots are taken by Redfox Recycling to a licensed composting facility where it is converted into nutrient-rich compost offering environmentally responsible solutions to managing surplus waste.

We are ISO 14001 certified which is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS) and the most widely used EMS in the world.

We have installed water-coolers in all the schools we supply and provide reusable water bottles
We have installed ‘Hot-Bins’ in some schools to compost any excess food waste
We have reduced school waste by 1,000,000 disposable water bottles each year and we have completed our process of eliminating single use water bottles from the schools we supply
We have installed LED lights in our facility which reduces the energy requirement
We work with schools to find solutions to reducing food waste such as having children bring home food to eat later in the day
We have upgraded our kitchen machinery to reduce its energy requirement.