HotelsSafety

How to incorporate Recycling?

Recycling should be incorporated into daily operations along with the staff training. Each Institution Recycling Program must be specifically designed to accommodate the hotel or institution’s procedures of operation, activities and structural design. A large property can generate as much as 8 tons of waste per day. Up to 60% of this waste is recyclable.

Educating guest about recycling through guest books, media boards, and in-house television is a great public relations tool that is received favorably by guest. Most guests are familiar with recycling from home or work and are glad to continue the process when in a hotel. In designing a recycling program for your hotel, consider the following list of commonly recycled materials:

Aluminum cans, Antifreeze, Appliances, Batteries, Building materials, Cardboard, Carpet, Cell phones, Cooking grease, Computers, Fluorescent bulbs, Food waste, Freon Furniture, Glass jars, Landscape waste, Magazines, Motor oil, Newspapers, Office supplies, Paint, Plastic bottles, Plastic buckets, Radios, Scrap metal, Steel containers, Telephone books, Televisions, Wood, etc..

Also, consider the life cycle cost of products. Life cycle cost includes factoring the initial cost, repair and maintenance and disposal costs. You pay twice for products; delivery and disposal.

How to Get Started

A little research will go a long way.

First assess - What are you already doing to reduce, reuse and recycle?

To know this, it is recommended that your homework include the following:

1. Set up a waste reduction committee made up of staff members from each operational area Explain your team goals and what you are trying to accomplish. Ask what procedures they are using for disposal, cleaning and training of personnel. This committee will gather the preliminary information which will help formulate recommendations and procedures. Appoint a waste reduction coordinator to provide a central point for leadership for this initiative. Reach out to all employees in the early stages of the recycling program and include on-going training. Some of the best ideas will come from your employees.

2. Conduct a waste audit of each operational area Do a walk through of each area. Identify the recyclable material, source of material and the quantity of the recyclable materials currently being collected or thrown away. This audit will help identify opportunities to reduce waste, conserve water and electricity.

Consideration should be given to:

- Who collects the waste?

- What type of waste is generated?

- When is the waste collected?

- Where is the waste stored until collection?

- How is the waste collected at the source and diverted to recycling?

This analysis of the composition of waste from a hotel will serve as a valuable planning tool for its waste reduction program.

3. Conduct a waste evaluation Learn about your waste and do a waste evaluation, which includes examining current and perspective purchasing and disposal cost records. Research your waste disposal costs, options, and alternatives.

4. Determine the composition of your waste stream Classify materials for recycling and initiate other waste reduction activities by determining the composition of your waste stream. Selection of materials disposal method is one of the key considerations before designing a recycling program.

5. Find out what materials are recycled in your area Most communities have a recycling coordinator that is available to assist or contact FDEP for a list of recyclers. Contact information for your county’s recycling coordinator can be found at: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/contact_counties.htm

6. Negotiate contract with waste and recycling provider Have more than just verbal agreements, do written contracts. Some items to consider for the service:

- What material do you collect?

- What size container is needed?

- Do you supply containers?

- Is there a charge for these containers?

- Is there a minimum volume or weight requirement for pickup frequency?

- What are the charges for collection?

- How frequent is collection?

Most recyclers base charges on operational cost and require a minimum quantity of material. This can create storage issues for back of the house operation. Consider storage when deciding what materials to collect and how materials are collected. Also consider that when fees for recycling and landfilling are low, incentives to recycle and practice waste reduction may decrease, whereas increased tipping fees promote waste reduction and recycling.

7. Design a materials flow plan A materials flow plan identifies materials, collection, container size and placement, recycling, reuse and disposal. It is very important that you label your recycling bins stating to the guests exactly what can be placed in the recycling bins. Be sure to co-locate all recycling bins beside garbage cans.

8. Have an auditor evaluate your facility if necessary Solicit help from the city or county recycling coordinator or if in USA; - contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Waste Reduction or Pollution Prevention Program in Tallahassee to have an auditor come out to evaluate your facility -.

9. Practice Eco-purchasing Examine the current buying practices. Are you just buying a product because that is the way it has always been done? Eco-purchasing involves evaluating practices and products not only on price and quality but also on durability, re-usability, recyclability and content. This strategy calls for business consumers to think first before purchasing any material or service. It may require changing the way things are done or how a product is packaged. Work with your vendors to get the best value.

10. Inform hotel owners and/or corporate management of your recycling initiative Keep owners and corporate management informed about your waste stream and recycling opportunities that will save time and money. Let them know what you are trying to achieve and ask for their support.

11. Establish an accounting system that reflects monthly waste management costs Formulate a monthly report for tracking waste disposal and reduction information.

12. Set goals and objectives based on a realistic time line Working with the committee, set goals and objectives based on a realistic time line. Map out action plans to reach these goals and objectives and assign responsible parties. Practical reduction programs must be periodically evaluated in relationship to the overall economic benefits and impacts to time and manpower usage. Consider sharing recycling with neighboring facilities. Monitor, measure and report progress.

13. Target areas for waste reduction Areas that should be included are office areas, food and beverage outlets, guest rooms, swimming pool and spa, convention/meeting rooms, housekeeping/laundry, landscaping, maintenance and purchasing.

Training & Communication

Staff training is one of the most important keys to making it all work. You have to train current staff and new staff on the overall program. Short frequent refresher training programs are encouraged. Monitoring is necessary and receiving feed back from personnel is also important to find out what is working and what is not. Quality education and clear communication will result in higher participation.

1. Appoint a person responsible for separating waste for recycling For general waste disposal, appoint a responsible person to make sure items are separated as they go into dumpsters or main collection containers. This monitoring will help with a load not being rejected due to contamination and incurring a higher disposal cost. It has been demonstrated that the closer the waste generation was monitored, the less the hotels paid for disposal.

2. Provide opportunities for regular feedback Communication is the key and regular feedback will be necessary to keep a program going. Consider using a newsletter which can get information out to more than one employee at a time. Include how much and what materials are being recovered as well as information on any new efforts to reduce waste further.

3. Determine collection areas Many hotels have implemented recycling programs, which include collection in the guest room as well as containers in the pool area, lobby, meeting rooms, and other common areas.

4. Communicate to your guests Communication is the key for a successful guest recycling program. Consider using signage, letters in the room information guides, hotel TV channel, posters, key packets, receipts, etc. to get information out to the guests.

Electronic Waste (E-Waste), E-Waste is waste generated from electronic equipment. New technology is making E-waste the fastest growing waste stream in the country. Most items that we have today will be obsolete in three to five years. Some of the items that fall in to this category are land-line telephones, PDAs, cellular phones, computers, keyboards, monitors, hand-held video games, calculators, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, tape recording machines,

cameras, video cameras, two-way radios, fax machines, copiers and printers. The following are opportunities and methods for reducing your e-waste:

1. Develop a waste reduction plan for electronics Electronics are potentially recyclable but contain lead, which can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly. All motels and hotels have at least one television in each guest room and many have two. There are additional televisions in lobbies, guest and employee lounges, laundry rooms, bars, restaurants and in-house gyms. Many of the facilities lease their televisions and phone systems that may be connected to providing the cable, satellite service or internet service. This option takes the burden from the hotel and shifts it back to the leasing company. The leasing company recycles these items to other properties or they are sold at the end of the lease (three to five years). Beach hotels may have to replace televisions more often because the salt air tends to corrode the internal components.

2. Recycle or donate used electronics Most electronics that are placed with the garbage are collected by local junk-men before the collector arrives. Many properties have a system to sell items to their own employees or local residents. Others denote to local charities.

3. Find out about e-waste recycling opportunities in your area Several stores have recycling opportunities for cell phones. Many counties and cities also have electronic recycling days for their communities. For large quantity recycling, contact your local recycling coordinator to find out what is being done in your area.

For more information on local recycling opportunities, contact your county’s recycling coordinator. Information for your county’s recycling coordinator can be found at: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/contact_counties.htm

Or contact Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Program at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/recyclingstaff.htm

Recycling

is the process of turning one products useful parts into a new product; this is done to conserve on the consumption of resources, energy and space used in landfills. By recycling 1 plastic bottle not only saves anywhere from 100 to 1000 years in the landfill but also saves the environment from the emissions in producing new bottles as well as the oil used to produce that bottle. For every 1 ton of plastic that is recycled we save the equivalent of 2 people’s energy use for 1 year, the amount of water used by 1 person in 2 month’s time and almost 2000 pounds of oil. Approximately 60% of our rubbish thrown away today could be recycled. A survey was done and 9 out of 10 people surveyed said they would recycle more if it was easier. Odd as it seems there are many people who do not realize that plastic bottles our water comes in is made out of oil. This is the same oil that is used to make gasoline. It's the same oil that is in such high demand and is not an unlimited resource.

Taking just a moment to put your newspaper, soda can and glass spaghetti jar in the recycling bin will save everyone years in environmental harm from production of new materials, over crowded landfills and the depletion of our natural resources

Today the most common products in cities recycling programs are paper products, cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminum.

Taking just a moment to put your newspaper, soda can and glass spaghetti jar in the recycling bin will save everyone years in environmental harm from production of new materials, overcrowded landfills and the depletion of our natural resources

When we do not recycle at least our glass or aluminum we cost the earth in power usage, water and oil usage and landfill usage; glass takes up to 4000 years to decompose in a landfill yet can be recycled indefinitely.

Recycling can be done at home as well as in conjunction with city programs.  Many scrap yards pay for scrap metal including the soda cans and soup cans we use every day.

Many useful items can be made from our everyday trash; the cardboard tubes left over from paper towel and toilet paper can make useful storage containers for our extra extension cords and prevents a tangled mess in the Christmas lights. If you’re going to throw these out don't just throw it in the rubbish bin, put it the recycling bin. Baby jars can become snow globes the kids can make and give as gifts, old Christmas cards can become new handmade cards and a glass or plastic bottle along with some clear oil and food coloring and a few other common household items can become a groovy lava lamp!

A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days. That's closed loop recycling at its finest! Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be recycled. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline. More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product. Because so many of them are recycled, aluminum cans account for less than 1% of the total U.S. waste stream, according to EPA estimates. An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now! There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled. We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year. At one time, aluminum was more valuable than gold! A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes! To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down. Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees. If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year! If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year. If you had a 15-year-old tree and made it into paper grocery bags, you'd get about 700 of them. A supermarket could use all of them in under an hour! This means in one year, one supermarket goes through 60,500,000 paper bags! Imagine how many supermarkets there are in the U.S.!!!

The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. This amounts to about 2,000,000,000 trees per year!

The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.

Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.

Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person.

The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.

In 1993, U.S. paper recovery saved more than 90,000,000 cubic yards of landfill space.

Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!

The 17 trees saved (above) can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.

The construction costs of a paper mill designed to use waste paper is 50 to 80% less than the cost of a mill using new pulp.

Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these jars are recyclable!

The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.

A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose -- and even longer if it's in the landfill.

Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.

About one-third of an average dump is made up of packaging material!

Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted.

The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste.

The highest point in Hamilton County, Ohio (near Cincinnati) is "Mount Rumpke." It is actually a mountain of trash at the Rumpke sanitary landfill towering 1045 ft. above sea level.

The US population discards each year 16,000,000,000 diapers, 1,600,000,000 pens, 2,000,000,000 razor blades, 220,000,000 car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the US commercial air fleet four times over.

Out of every $10 spent buying things, $1 (10%) goes for packaging that is thrown away. Packaging represents about 65% of household trash.

On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to incinerate it.

An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover over 50 acres of space -- that's almost 40 football fields. All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.

Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute!

A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.

Motor oil never wears out, it just gets dirty. Oil can be recycled, re-refined and used again, reducing our reliance on imported oil.

On average, each one of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day. This adds up to almost a ton of trash per person, per year.

A typical family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That's a lot of containers -- make sure they're recycled!

Going green doesn't have to cost a lot of green!

Use these simple tips to make a positive impact on the environment while keeping your wallet intact. It's easy, even for the laziest of environmentalists

• Shut down and unplug electronics. Make small changes to use – and pay for – less energy, like shutting down your computer when you're not using it and plugging your cell phone and other electronics into power strips so you can turn several devices off with one switch.
• Wash your clothes in cold water. By using cold water instead of warm, the average household can avoid emitting 1,281 pounds of carbon dioxide annually and save on energy bills.
• Fill your bottle with filtered tap water. Choose the greener solution by using a reusable bottle, and filling it with filtered tap water. If you use a filtration system you can make another responsible choice by recycling your pitcher filter when you replace it, which should be about every two months (or every 40 gallons). Find out more about recycling filters here.
• Update your wardrobe for less. Instead of consuming new products, trade fashionable clothes, accessories, cosmetics and shoes for free (you only pay for shipping). By swapping merchandise you can lower the amount of harmful emissions caused by the manufacturing process.
• Exchange CDs, DVDs and books instead of buying. Now you can avoid purchasing new products without forfeiting your entertainment needs.
• Use refurbished electronics. You can get refurbished electronics for a steal (they often sell for less than 50 percent of the retail price!), and before they're resold to the public, they go through an intense defect-testing process and the warranties usually remain intact. So you can save money and help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
• Use kitchenware products made of recycled materials. Preserve uses items such as recycled pitcher filters and empty yogurt containers to make their line of colorful kitchen gear. Since they're about the same price as regular kitchenware

Sustainable Solutions for GreenHotels

 ==============================================

 HotelsSafety

• Start a linen (both towels and sheets) reuse program in all guest rooms
• Install low-flow shower-heads and sink aerators
• Switch to low-flow toilets or install toilet-tank fill diverters
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs in guestrooms, lobbies, and hallways
• Use sensors and/or timers for areas that are infrequently used
• Whenever possible, buy food and guest amenities in bulk (i.e., use refillable hair and skin care dispensers)
• Provide recycling bins both in public areas (i.e., Poolside, Recreational Areas), in the kitchen, and in the back office (including one at each desk) to make recycling as easy as possible
• Use recycled paper products (with high post-consumer recycled content) that are either unbleached or bleached using a chlorine-free process
• Minimize the amount of paper used for each guest (i.e., reduce paper size of invoices, etc.). Print with soy-based inks
• Educate your staff to turn off lights and turn down heating/air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied. Also, during summer months, to close the drapes
• Install window film to lower heating and cooling loads and reduce glare in guestrooms
• Provide guestroom recycle baskets for newspaper, white paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and plastic
• Provide your guests with bicycles, walking maps, and information on public transportation
• Buy office and guest amenity products that contain recycled material
• Buy organic, fair trade, cruelty-free guest amenity products whenever possible:

- bedding

- hair and body care

- coffee and tea, etc.

• Purchase "Energy Star" appliances wherever possible
• Use nontoxic or least toxic cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides, etc. throughout the hotel
• Make sure all chemicals are stored safely in a well-ventilated area
• If the hotel has a pool and/or hot tub, install a solar water heating system and use pool and hot tub covers when the pool area is closed
• Provide your guests with bicycles, walking maps, and information on public transportation
• Provide reusable items such as cloth napkins, glass cups, ceramic dishes, etc. with all food and beverage services
• Provide glass cups and ceramic mugs (instead of plastic) for in-room beverages
• Place cups and mugs upside down on paper doilies (instead of covering opening with a plastic wrapping)
• Use daylight exclusively in your lobby, bar, and restaurant for as much of the day as possible. Consider installing skylights if needed
• Donate leftover food to a local nonprofit organization and/or use a compost bin
• If your hotel has a restaurant, consider transitioning it into a Certified Green Restaurant or Certified Green Commercial Kitchen (Ask your Environmental Solutions-USA representative)
• Buy organic, locally-grown food and/or plant an organic garden to provide fresh produce for your guests
• Switch to drought resistant native plants in garden areas
• Replace mowed landscaping with native ground cover
• Replace exit signs with Light Emitting Diode (LED) exit signs
• Include filter changes, coil cleaning, thermostat calibration, and damper adjustments in your ongoing maintenance plan
• If your hotel has a gift shop, consider purchasing fair trade products
• Monitor, record and post rates of energy and water use
• Make repairs or replace equipment when rate changes indicate problems
• Use an energy management system (EMS) to tie in air handling units, HVAC, and lighting to prevent conditioning space when it is not necessary
• Create an incentive program to encourage your staff to participate in and improve upon environmentally-friendly practices
• Offer discounted rates to sustainable living/environmental organizations who would like stay at and/or hold meetings at your hotel
• Use proper insulation and reflective roof coverings
• When doing construction or remodeling projects, if in USA, contact the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) to learn about the nationally accepted standards for green buildings (called LEED).
• Buy previously used or recycled-content products whenever possible
• Consult outside sources to evaluate the total system when replacing major mechanical equipment (such as chiller, water tower, etc)
• Often, this can lead to downsizing and other opportunities to reduce both the initial investment and operating costs
• Replace electric package terminal air conditioner (PTAC) units with more efficient heat pumps or other geothermal technologies
• Donate leftover guest amenities, old furniture and appliances to charities
• If available, schedule an energy audit through your local energy provider
• Avoid room service and carryout.

Go Green!

ES-HotelsSafety conducts green audits of hotel buildings operations and creates custom plans for properties to develop and implement environmental management systems. Additionally, ES-HotelsSafety provides staff training for food handles, and guides facilities through the LEED certification process.

ES-HotelsSafety have developed the "HotelsSafety Modules" especially for the tourism industry. It covers high-level standards, which comply with national and international regulations; therefore it incorporates best practice and recommendations, which are often, require an even higher level than many national and international regulations. These standards and their compliance are then monitored and audited at the hotel or cruise site, through competent ES auditors on a regular basis, we help institutions to manage food, water and environmental safety. Auditing procedures include questionnaires with more than 300 checkpoints, making the endorsement system very demanding. This auditing system allows us to assess from a quantitative point of view the degree of compliance of the "HotelsSafety Modules", and therefore to assess in some way the risk of the operation. When a facility shows a consistent high level of Safety Practices, then it is published on the Hotels Safety list of Hotels, Cruises or Restaurants that are approved and compliant with standards set out by ES-HotelsSafety. You can take some confidence from the fact that USA, the Caribbean Islands and other countries based business in regards to this list. Nothing is ever completely safe but hotels listed in www.hotelssafety.com are exposing your company at a lower liability risk. For sustainable hotel operations, ES-HotelsSafety "HotelsSafety Modules" is a must for hotels and hospitality Industries. The Program provides hotels with the knowledge and methods to green their operations. "HotelsSafety Modules" can also be regarded as a key to effective resource management.

• What is Environmental Management?

• The term ‘environmental management’ not only means managing the environment but managing the interaction of human societies with the environment and its impact.
• Thus, environmental management is not only for the sake of environment but it is for the sake of mankind.

• What does Environmental Management involve?

• Managing all components of the environment: biotic and aboitic is what Environmental Management involves.
• Management of all the components of environment becomes necessary because of relationships between the species and their habitats.

• Why Environmental Management?

• Hotels and resorts consume large amounts of water, energy and other items. Lot of waste whether waste water or solid waste is generated from hotels.
• The reason why Environmental Management has become important is that it is a systematic approach to find practical ways or methods that can be used to save water, energy etc and reduce their negative impacts on environment.
• A proper environmental management program can be a win-win situation as it helps to save money and preserve environment.
• Environmental Management: Win-Win situation
• Proper Environmental Management is a win-win situation for both you and your property. It helps to reduce operating costs and improves profitability.
• Substantial cost savings can be done with a modest investment.
• Apart from cost savings, environmental management guarantees that you will stand out from competition and will be recognized. Environmental Management helps you to get recognized through certification programs, awards and other promotions.
• Other benefit is the image of your property gets enhanced with guests that are conscious about environment.

• Environmental Walk-Through is from where you should start

The process of managing the environment and its components starts from An Environmental Walk-Through involving assessment of opportunities for improvement.

A walkthrough may be conducted by a single assessor or a team that inspects facilities and operations and identifies the key areas for environmental improvement.

• Steps towards Environmental Management

The following steps when followed properly or kept in mind can make you save enormously:

1. Adoption of an environmental policy
2. Appointment of an environmental officer,
3. Establishment of a team known as The Green Team,
4. Establishment of a maintenance program,
5. Adoption of practices that conserve the environment and minimize the production of waste
6. Development of a monitoring program for utilities.

• Environmental Management System

To make your hotel environment friendly what is required is improvement of the facilities provided by the property and its equipments.

The effort required is to improve the standard of operating procedures and training and motivating the staff members for efficient use of resources.

The system that helps you achieve above goals is Environmental Management System.

Environmental Management System (EMS) can be said as a framework that helps the management to assign responsibilities, motivate the staff members, implement the best practices and monitor the performance as a whole.

Other activities included in the Environmental Management System include conducting meetings, training the staff members and monitoring and reporting progress.