Hotel Waste Reduction – How & Where to Start?

Volume Reduction equals Cost Reduction

• Track & Trace: Carefully track the volume and types of recyclables that are being processed at your hotel.  Not only does this serve as a check and balance, but it will also prompt you to sudden changes in data.
• Thoroughly evaluate your recycling needs – Audit, Audit, Audit: How do you know what your needs are if you do not understand your waste output? A waste audit results in a thorough examination of the amount and type of waste your hotel produces, as well as the source of the waste.
• Continuously monitor and evaluate: Not only are your waste needs unique, they also change with the seasons, just like your guests. Auditing your waste is the first step, but the real benefit comes from a continuous monitoring of your hotels waste output. Whether guests are recycling shampoo bottles, mouthwash containers, water bottles, newspapers or other items, the type and amount of waste fluctuates throughout time and should be closely examined so your recycling data is optimized.
• Identify zero-landfill opportunities: Zero landfill is becoming available to more markets than ever before to achieve “zero waste to landfill” opportunities. Achieving a landfill waste diversion rate of 100%, especially with recycling, used to be an unachievable goal, but is now well within reach.
• Encourage guests to get involved: Guests like to see hotels “going green.” If you have not already, consider placing recycling bins in rooms and develop signage encouraging recycling. True cost reduction and diversion moves beyond simply placing bins where guests can see them, but its a start. Even providing recycling suggestions could make the difference for a guest. 
• Get Staff Involved: Action starts with hotel staff. Consider in-room sorting by housekeeping, especially if you do not have separate recycling bins. Housekeeping can capture recyclable plastic single use toiletry bottles. Try establishing a green team for your efforts, or even a weekly staff meeting to educate and evaluate successes. Your staff, like your guests, should know the benefits of recycling and may want to encourage sustainability and environmental practices at your hotel.

Hotel Waste

Hotels tackling food waste as step toward sustainability.

• By any measure, the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills is staggering. When you throw food into a landfill, it decomposes and creates methane, which is a very strong greenhouse gas. It doesn’t really become reusable, and food waste is tied to about 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When food waste ends up in landfill, it rots and produces methane gas which is fatal to the environment and 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

• • Many food business owners understand that food waste impacts the profitability of their business, but not all may be mindful of the impact that it has on the environment.
  • Generous portion sizes can lead to leftover food on the plate which ultimately ends up in the bin. Avoid unnecessarily large portions by controlling the size of plates, dishes are served on.

• Food waste is a huge factor for hotels. This is because they generally pay twice for waste – once for the packaging and initial delivery and again for the disposal and pickup process. From a business perspective, it makes sense for hotels to create as little waste as possible or develop recycling procedures to keep the waste on property. It would help to reduce costs and benefit the environment at the same time.

Hotel Waste Recycling

With numerous day-to-day operational duties pulling employees in every direction, managing a variety of waste vendor services can add to the overall stress of the job.

Hotel management has become increasingly more difficult due to COVID-19. To help you to manage and control costs including recycling costs you need a specialist who will help you to understand your recycling requirements, both in volume terms and costs.

Such a company would educate the management on how to manage all critical aspects of the waste program, helping to trim costs, flagging and removing hidden fees, and providing reports to improve sustainability, alleviating several time-consuming tasks. 

These companies are also trained to find additional sources of cost savings and can make recommendations as needed. While it may seem strange to hire someone to save money, those who specialize in waste and recycling can better identify overages and negotiate better market prices on a hotel’s behalf.

Contact us to get a waste management audit!