Reduce, reuse and recycle

Question 1

How can a hotel reduce waste?

Answer 1

Have small kettles in rooms
Use key cards
Use refillable shower gel, shampoo and conditioner bottles
Buy products in bulk to reduce packaging
Cook food when it is ordered, not in advance
Make portion sizes suitable and consider making a child’s menu
Don’t provide individual soaps
Provide newspapers and magazines upon request
Change bulbs on the premises to low energy
Only have air conditioning available when the key card is in
Remove the standby option on appliances
Install solar panels
Decorate using appropriate furnishings (thin curtains/blinds and sheets if the hotel is in a hot country to reduce the use of air conditioning)
Only replace sheets every 3 days
Ask guests to have a shower instead of a bath
Encourage guests to reuse towels and put them in the bath when they need washing.

Question 2

How can a hotel reuse waste?

Answer 2

Use leftovers (not served) to make other dishes e.g. soups and stock
Use vegetable peelings for compost in the garden
Use ‘grey’ water to water the garden
Reuse containers for storage

Question 3

How can a hotel recycle waste?

Answer 3

Make sure there are many recycling bins in and around the hotel
Recycle all plastic, cardboard/paper, glass and garden waste