Use resources efficiently in your hotel

Beyond minimising the waste you produce in your hotel, you can further reduce environmental impact by recycling the waste that you do produce. Businesses in the hospitality industry can recycle significant quantities of material. Hotels can reduce the weight of their waste by 16 per cent. This increases to 30 per cent for the waste produced by pubs and up to 98 per cent for nightclubs.

Recycling your waste can:

• lower your waste management costs, especially if you often dispose of heavy materials such as glass
• save space and reduce clutter
• improve your environmental credentials
• reduce your impact on the environment

However, you should still make sure you comply with waste legislation. See duty of care for your waste.

What can your hotel recycle?

Materials that you can recycle include:

• glass bottles and jars
• cardboard
• plastic bottles
• food and drink cans
• printer cartridges
• electrical items

Finding a recycling waste contractor

You should consider the following questions when looking for a waste contractor suitable for your hotel recycling needs:

• What materials will you recycle?
• Do you want the materials collected by the waste contractor, or can you transport them to the waste facility?
• Is the service suitable for the size of your business? If you produce very little waste, you may not need a weekly scheduled collection.
• How will you collect and store the materials for recycling?
• How will you pay for the service? For example, is there an annual charge or a fee each time containers are emptied?
• How will your glass be collected? It will normally be best to separate colours at your site.

Setting up a recycling scheme in your hotel

Once you have found a suitable waste contractor, the next step is to consider how a recycling scheme will work in your business. This includes:

• deciding on the location and labelling of recycling containers
• arranging the collection schedule with the contractor
• employee involvement and training - staff members must understand what materials are being recycled and where they should put them
• launch and promotion - so that staff are clear about when to start using the service