Organic hotel in ... with waste management: Measures to avoid waste

Measures to avoid waste in hotels

Almost 40 million tons of waste are produced in Germany every year. This corresponds to a load of around 450 kg per person. Only slightly more than half of the waste can be recycled. From an environmental protection perspective, residual waste should be avoided whenever possible. The concept of waste prevention also includes the options for action that prevent waste from being created by the waste producer.

Waste prevention in hotels

In the interests of a positive ecological balance, short-lived and problem-prone products should be avoided and waste that still needs to be recycled or disposed of should be reduced, i.e. kept as low as possible.

Around 3.5 liters of waste (residual waste) is generated per guest during an average overnight stay in a hotel.
Categorized by stars, the overview looks like this:

Source of the figures: DEHOGA energy campaign, surveys by the DEHOGA regional associations, environmental declarations, as of: 2014 ( https://www.dehoga-bundesverband.de/fileadmin/Startseite/05_Themen/Energie/DEHOGA_Umweltbroschu__re_Oktober_2016.pdf )

Environmental protection and cost savings at the same time

Less waste not only protects the environment, but also saves money: By saving residual waste, the hotel's residual waste bin does not have to be emptied as often. This saves waste fees. The topic of consistent waste separation and waste avoidance should also be addressed to employees. It is often not entirely clear what exactly belongs in which bin. Therefore, label the garbage containers to avoid misunderstandings. Recyclable materials, paper and organic waste should be consistently separated from residual waste.

7 measures to avoid waste in the hotel industry at a glance

1. Waste separation also possible for guests
   Hotel guests should also have the opportunity to separate their waste. Therefore, set up small garbage stations in the rooms so that your guests can dispose of residual waste, paper and packaging separately.
2. Less packaging through low-waste procurement
   Packaging should be avoided in restaurants, bars and also in wellness or spa areas. Vegetable boxes, for example, have already become established in many organic hotels. Glass straws can be used instead of plastic straws in the bar. You can also save on packaging material for cosmetic products.
3. Shop locally instead of ordering online
   Shopping from neighborhood retailers is preferable to ordering online.
4. Returning packaging materials to suppliers
   This pursues the sustainable goal of combating environmental pollution and helping to avoid it by encouraging distributors to use ecologically beneficial and recyclable packaging. Because non-recyclable packaging material is of course more expensive for the supplier to dispose of.
5. Breakfast buffet without portion packaging
   Portion packaging of sugar, milk, spreads and teas should be avoided if possible.
6. Avoid plastic
   Avoid plastic bottles and portion packaging and use reusable systems or large containers in the kitchen. Put an end to mini shampoos. A lot of waste can be saved by eliminating disposable products and switching to dispenser facilities (e.g. for soap at the sink and shampoo/shower gel in the shower). Is your tap water drinking water quality? Inform your guests about this. This can ensure that fewer guests buy water in plastic bottles and take them into the hotel.
7. Avoid food waste
   After the organic breakfast buffet ends, employees can have breakfast together. This saves the disposal of some of the leftover food and packaging waste from food brought by employees and also promotes satisfaction and communication within the team.