waste reduction

Waste management: Should we encourage self promotion and lies?
(by Rachna Chandan and Prem Prakash: Lecturers BCIHMCT)

A hotel waste audit showed that each guest room contributes from ½ pound to 28½ pounds of waste per day. It comprises of two components, Biodegradable (Wet) waste and Non biodegradable (Dry) waste. The wet waste comprises of food, vegetable and non-vegetarian waste whereas the dry waste comprises of plastic bottles, papers, plastic wrappers, HDPE, LLDPE bags etc. And, the majority of waste is not produced in the rooms, but in the Food and Beverage Department. A large property can generate as much as 8 tons of waste per day. Up to 60% of this waste is recyclable. And, if a hotel’s waste isn’t reduced or recycled, it contributes to the state’s environmental problems.
Waste management can be component for the solutions of this problem, which can majorly be done by acclimatize waste reduction and recycling standards. Consistent waste reduction and recycling activities imply there will be less waste materials to be sent to landfills and incinerators. With this, the emission of greenhouse gas and other forms of pollutant will be reduced by a large percentage. And this not only helps in the conservation of natural resources, but also preventing the existing resources and minimizing the prevention cost.


In response to modern trends, hotel industry is adopting changes in their operations to reduce waste disposal costs and protect the environment. A few proactive hotel corporations have approved hotel environmental programs such as water and energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling.
But the largest concerning measurement is that, everyone is aware about the importance and causative system of waste management, but is not following the same. And due to which now the hospitality industry is being strained to join the “green movement” or lose their market share of the “green consumer.” Stewardship of natural resources and making business decisions based on environmental practices has enabled certain upbeat hotel organization to step into the ever increasing “green consumer” market.
In order to reduce waste disposal costs, organizations have to firstly determine the types and volumes of waste generated in different department. With this they have to specify the product or areas that have the greatest contribution toward the increasing volume of waste.

Waste Reduction Guidelines for Front Office and other back office
In front office there may be various guidelines which can easily help in reducing the waste related to the department especially stationary waste. As in offices (front or back) we can use centrally placed board or electronic bulletin board can be used for giving information to the staff. With this guest stationary can be reused as in-house correspondence. And in order to protect the environment hotel can use non-toxic inks, unbleached and chlorine-free paper, refillable pen and pencil. Above all these mentioned steps if department organize recycle programs at regular interval than it will make a great difference on the whole

Waste Reduction Guidelines for Housekeeping
For housekeeping executive it is very important to plan strategies and programs towards reducing the volume and toxicity of wastes generated by the department. This can be opted vary from the first stage of purchasing. With the emerging trends of being an eco-friendly association, now many hotels pick the eco-purchasing program, under which an organization can reduce waste by purchasing in bulk, avoiding products with hazardous ingredients, repairing and reusing the possible products and by selecting such vendors who are using reusable or returnable boxes and crates.

Reuse plastic drums and buckets for recycling or trash collection containers in back of the house service areas.
Use refillable bath soap, shampoo, hair rinse and hand lotion dispensers for guest rooms to eliminate soap pieces and plastic bottles.
Offer newspapers in centrally located places such as lobbies, restaurants, and newsstands rather than distributing them to each guest room to reduce the volume of discarded newspapers and paper or plastic bags used for carry newspaper. Remanufacture worn mattresses. Mattress manufacturers will rebuild to the hotel’s specifications.
Replace tissues in bathrooms when they are almost empty or leave new rolls or boxes of tissues for the guest to replace. If company policy is to replace half rolls of toilet tissue, save them and donate to shelters or use in employee restrooms.
Provide amenities such as shower caps, shoe wipes on request. .
Re-dye stained bath towels and wash cloths for reuse as pool towels and cleaning cloths. Re-dye linens and carpet to match remodeled decor.
Rotate draperies to expose different portions to sunlight and extend their useful life. Use reusable baskets or plastic containers for guest laundry, thus avoiding disposable paper or plastic wrap Use clothes hangers left by guests for employee uniforms or return to the dry cleaners and recycle plastic garment bags.

Waste Reduction Guidelines for Food and Beverage
In food and beverage, proper strategies have to be followed and regularly practiced by the hotel. These practices can include the use of reusable dishes and flatware in restaurants, especially in the employee cafeteria, installing a magnet on food waste containers to recover silverware accidently thrown away with food waste, use recycled paper for menus, table tents, guest checks, inventory sheets, and calculator and cash register tapes; use the recycling symbol on printed materials to inform guest of your hotel’s commitment to the environment or use of washable hats instead of disposable paper. With these points, there are several other modest but significant points which are to be concern while preparing standards for waste management:
Use filters in deep fryers to extend the life of cooking oil.
Distribute condiments, paper napkins, and straws upon request instead of offering them self-serve for take-outs.
Replace individually wrapped condiment packages with bulk dispensers in restaurants and employee cafeterias.
Prefer glass or plastic coasters to reduce cocktail napkin waste.
Eliminate paper place mats and use cloth ones.
Purchase refrigerators, freezers, and coolers which are CFC-free.
Use dry, concentrated dishwasher chemicals in dispensers to reduce chemical spills and waste.
Unused guest food can also be consumed in the staff cafeteria or it can be donated to the deprived people.
With the above mentioned points there are some parallel methods for managing the hotel waste, they can be
1. Bio sanitizer machine,
2. Biomethanation plant
3. Composting/vermi-compositing