Waste control in hotels can be difficult because of the amount of waste that hotels produce daily. Managing this waste, and lowering the overall amount, is a concern because of environmental and financial reasons. Because it is environmentally unfriendly to place waste in landfills, greener hotel practices are becoming the norm.
Hotel waste consists of trash from guest rooms and food and beverage departments. Large hotel operations produce a significant amount of waste per day, much of which goes straight into the trash. This has an impact on the environment because most of these materials end up in landfills instead of being recycled or reused. As hotels become more environmentally-friendly, waste management strategies are being developed that help reduce, recycle and reuse waste as a means of control.
Hotels often hire waste management companies to address the large amount of waste produced daily. These companies help to ensure that waste is controlled in a way that is sanitary for guests of the hotel. Employees help to control waste by placing it in the proper places once it has been collected. Hotel management often has to develop strategies for dealing with waste because it is such a large issue in the hospitality industry.
Many U.S. companies help reduce waste in hotels through recycling programs. Before starting a program, it is important for hotels to evaluate waste to determine products and materials that can be recycled. Developing a system for managing the recycling is the next step in helping to control excess waste, because storage containers are needed as well as a company to pick up the recycling on a regular basis. Hotel employees need to be aware of efforts to reduce waste and participate in the recycling program.
Hotels can also control waste by purchasing products in a mindful way. This includes buying items in bulk or concentrated form to avoid excess packaging waste, and purchasing less toxic products. Hotels can select products that are made from recycled materials to help cut down on overall wastefulness, and try to reuse or repair products previously purchased to avoid causing additional waste.
