Record food waste with a camera above the bin

Restaurants and canteens record food waste with a camera above the waste bin

Needs setupAI Act: no extra obligationsInspecting by cameraHospitality, tourism & events

Fits: Leaders & strategy · Purchasing · Production, engineering & maintenance

You see which dishes and components end up in the bin, on which day and for what reason: overproduction, plate waste or prep waste. This lets you plan quantities and portions based on figures instead of gut feeling and reduces food costs.

Is this for you?

  • You cook larger quantities every day, for example in a canteen, hotel kitchen, institutional catering or a restaurant with a buffet.
  • You suspect too much is being thrown away but do not know exactly what and why.
  • The kitchen team is willing to briefly state where the waste comes from when throwing it away.
First step today

Today, after lunch service, collect the waste separately in three bins: overproduction from the counter, plate returns, prep. Weigh each bin, photograph the contents from above with no people in the picture and have the photos analysed with the template below. Check whether the AI correctly recognises the day’s components.

How to go about it

  1. Define waste types and components
  2. Set up a camera and scales at the waste station
  3. Collect and label waste images with weights
  4. Check recognition and set rules for unclear cases
  5. Bring the figures into production planning and kitchen meetings
  6. Review unclear and wrong assignments monthly

Templates to copy

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Included in the training

The complete guide

  • 6 steps explaining exactly what to do
  • 3 proven templates to copy into your own AI
  • Safe use: data, checking, deciding, informing
  • Pitfalls, effort and how to recognise success

With the training you get all 430 guides for as long as your access runs.

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Same approach, other use cases

24 more use cases follow the pattern “Inspecting by camera”.

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GT-02 · Legal status 08.10.2026