The hotel industry plays a significant role in global environmental impact, contributing to 1% of global emissions each year. With a typical 200-room, 4-star hotel producing an estimated 300,000 pieces of single-use plastics per month, the need for sustainable practices is more critical than ever.
In alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12, sustainable consumption and production, the hospitality industry needs to step up to tackle waste reduction to protect the environment.
This article explores the different types of waste generated in the hospitality sector and provides actionable solutions for reducing waste in hotels while highlighting the industry’s commitment to sustainability.
Strategies to Reduce Hotel Waste
Food Waste
Food waste is a pressing global issue across all industries, with the WWF reporting a staggering one-third of the world’s produce going uneaten, amounting to 1.3 billion tons. In the context of hotels, food waste includes leftover meals, culinary preparation remnants, and unserved or expired food items.
Leading the charge against food waste, Hilton has implemented innovative solutions to minimize its environmental impact with a strong focus on food waste management, setting a powerful example for the industry.
Textile Waste
The hospitality industry faces a significant sustainability challenge concerning textile waste, with over 6,000 tons of textiles discarded annually. However, companies like Circ and Fibre Lab are stepping up with their expertise in textile recycling to be a possible solution. In the UK, The Textile Services Association (TSA) and Swedish company Södra joined forces in 2021 to support a project to find solutions for textile recycling within UK hotels.
Additionally, notable hotel chains are also actively working towards a solution for recycling hotel textiles; for example, The Hilton London Metropole Hotel staff wear uniforms made from organic and recycled materials, demonstrating a clear demand for this circular solution.
Oil Waste
Oil waste is another critical concern in the hospitality sector. However, resorts like Sandals and Beaches Resorts are actively collecting used kitchen oil, which local recycling companies repurpose into biodiesel, glycerin, or soaps. These resorts also donate organic waste to pig farms and animal shelters and fruit and vegetable scraps to their landscaping teams for composting efforts.
Plastic Waste
Like other industries, plastic waste remains a pervasive issue in the hospitality industry, but Clean the World is here to be an effective and easy solution. Teaming up with hospitality partners around the world to recycle used soap and divert plastic bottled amenities from landfills, Clean the World’s Global Hospitality Recycling Program has diverted over 11 million kilograms (or over 25 million pounds) of waste from landfills since 2009.
In addition to global recycling initiatives, global leader Hotel Accor has pledged to eliminate single-use plastics from its guest experience by 2022, aligning with the industry’s increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability.
Water Waste
Water waste is another significant challenge within the hospitality sector. Clean the World’s waste diversion program actively collaborates with partners to reduce water waste. Intercontinental Hotels exemplifies a global chain committed to water conservation, implementing tools, and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure water stewardship at the basin level.
Importance of Waste Management in Hotels
Effective waste management is essential for hotels to enhance guest safety, maintain regulatory compliance, and protect their brand reputation. With new regulations like CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) in the EU, hotels must prioritise responsible waste management more than ever.
The environmental and economic benefits of sustainable waste management include:
- Reducing emissions: A single hotel guest can generate between 10 and 102 kilograms of CO2 per night, according to Circular Ecology. Efficient waste management helps reduce this impact.
- Guests willing to pay more for sustainable travel
- Driving industry change: Programs like Clean the World’s Hospitality recycling programme showcase how the hospitality has proven solutions to support environmental commitment and to make a real impact.
Partnering for a Sustainable Future
Sustainable Development goal 17 (SDG 17), partnerships for the goals, provides a objective, which if properly recognised, can support achieve the other 16 goals. Through cooperation and working together as industry’s for the greater good, will be the way we will see a real change.
Hoteliers of all sizes including boutique hotel The PIG hotels in the UK, as well as larger brands such as Hilton, are already setting a strong precedent for waste reduction and sustainable practices in the hospitality industry, proving that irrelevant of size sustainability and a successful hotel can go hand in hand, and it’s crucial that others hotels follow.
At Clean the World, we are here to support hotels on their sustainability journeys.
Click here to learn more about Clean the World’s solutions for managing hotel waste.
Together, we can strive to make the hospitality industry more sustainable, one step at a time.
