Home Publisher's Point of View Efforts to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Picking Up Steam

Efforts to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Picking Up Steam

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Glenn Hasek

Plastic elimination and minimization has been on a lot of people’s minds lately. Almost every day I hear from someone offering a product that is easier on the planet than its plastic counterpart, or from a company announcing a plastic-reducing plan. Today I heard from a company that sells glass straws. This past week I posted an article on alternatives to the plastic toothbrush. Are you still giving your guests plastic toothbrushes? Check out the article. Bamboo toothbrushes are an excellent alternative to plastic. One company even offers toothbrush handles made from repurposed and recycled materials like wood, paper and recycled dollar bills.

The European Commission is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items like straws and utensils according to draft rules released this week. Also this past week, Scandic Hotels, the leading Nordic hotel company, announced it had decided to stop using plastic straws and cocktail sticks in all its hotels to help reduce the harmful impact these products have on the environment. Late last month, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Singapore, announced a pledge against single-use plastic. The premium hotel operator and developer will implement a plan for all its properties to phase out the use of disposable plastics by Earth Day 2019. This will include plastic straws, plastic water bottles and disposable plastic cutlery. Sudima Hotels & Resorts, with properties throughout New Zealand, is advancing its sustainability journey by setting the goal of becoming single-use plastic free by 2020.

The new brand LSW Hotels announced a goal of having zero plastic. In 2019, Iberostar Group’s portfolio of more than 110 hotels will be free of single-use plastics, following an initial implementation by the chain’s 36 Spain hotels by this month.

With FloWater Refill stations now on every floor, the Inn by the Sea at La Jolla in California has eliminated plastic water bottles from guestrooms, recently becoming the 100th hotel property to deploy FloWater Refill Stations. Other early adopters include the Beverly Hills Hilton, the world renowned Miraval Spa Resort in Tucson, the Greystone Hotel Properties in San Francisco, and the Terranea resort in southern California.

Guests Like the Idea of No Plastic

According to Sheldon Joyner, General Manager at the Inn by the Sea at La Jolla, “Our guests don’t want plastic bottles, and they expect better from us, and that’s what we are delivering with the enhanced FloWater experience. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and our housekeeping staff is very happy not to have those heavy cases of bottled water on their carts.”

The Inn is also saving money by eliminating the material and labor costs of providing guests with water in plastic bottles. The refill stations are conveniently located next to the elevators on each floor, and they provide biodegradable cups and sell branded reusable water bottles for guests who arrive without their own. Are you still providing single-use plastic water bottles for your guests?

The number of stories is endless, but I must add Marriott’s April announcement to transition to shampoo, conditioner and body wash dispensers at the five brands that make up the bulk of its properties—Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites and TownePlace Suites. For a 140-room property, moving to a three-bottle shower dispenser system is expected to result in the elimination of more than 23,000 tiny toiletry bottles annually—the equivalent of 250 pounds of plastic per year. The transition to dispensers in the shower will be a requirement for Marriott Managed hotels among the five brands and optional for franchised properties. By the end of this year Marriott expects at least 1,500 hotels out of 3,400 hotels to adopt the program.

Phasing out single-use plastic items is going to take a long time in our industry. It is good to see there are efforts underway to begin to lessen the flow of these items to landfills, bodies of water, and even the sides of our roads.

What is your property doing to eliminate single-use plastic items? I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or at (813) 510-3868.

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