They may not be the perfect solution to water container pollution but paper-based products—whether in cartons or bottles—are so much better than their plastic alternatives. This past week I posted an article about four companies that now offer water in cartons or bottles that are primarily made from paper—a renewable resource. If you are currently still giving your guests or staff plastic water bottles, I challenge you to sample the water containers featured in my article. Something has got to be done to stop the proliferation of plastic bottles. Sixty-nine billion bottles are created each year and 38 billion of...

NATIONAL REPORT—With all the attention given to plastic straws, stirrer sticks and cutlery over the past year, not enough attention has been given to plastic water bottle alternatives. Green Lodging News has reported on water filtration systems and glass bottle delivery of that water within the hotel. That approach is a great idea but can make only a tiny dent in the overall plastic bottle waste problem. According to Rob Koenen, Chief Marketing Officer for Boxed Water Is Better®, 69 billion bottles are created each year and 38 billion of them go into oceans and landfills. Up to 90...

ORLANDO, FLA.—SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment announced that all 12 of its theme parks have removed polystyrene foam dinnerware products, including bowls, plates and trays, from all its dining operations. As part of its commitment to protecting animals and habitats worldwide, SeaWorld has replaced polystyrene foam with products made from 100 percent recycled material in all its parks. With millions of meals served in the parks each year, the removal of polystyrene foam products, which are not biodegradable, helps keep them out of local landfills, as well as in the ocean ecosystem. According to Andrew Ngo, Corporate Vice President, In-park Revenue, “This change allows us to...

HOUSTON—Texas-based WASTELINQ, whose waste industry experts design innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of waste industry customers and service providers, announced the Q1 launch of its industry leading Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings this week. The technology startup, founded by experts with more than 70 years of combined experience managing waste brokerages and TSDFs, has created platforms that help waste generators and waste service providers capture the financial, operational, and environmental value of superior waste management strategy and practice. Commenting on the announcement, Chief Financial Officer Ken Odom observed, “We know our solutions work because they’re the same...

BANGKOK—Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is focusing on three key sustainability initiatives as part of the company’s recently announced 2019 Sustainability Plan: eliminating single-use plastic products; reducing its food waste footprint; and expanding its support of local farming and produce-growing communities. No Single-Use Plastic Products by End-2019 The elimination of single-use plastic items is part of the “Centara Earth Care” program aimed at encouraging hotel guests and tourists to be proactive about energy saving, waste reduction and sustainable environmental tourism. The sustainability plan covers five types of single-use plastic items, including drinking straws, laundry bags, take-away food containers,...

BOCA RATON, FLA.—FarFromBoring Hospitality continues to make headlines, eliminating the need for plastic straws by recently signing on to provide clientele at three nationally recognized establishments with a high-quality, paper straw alternative. With Rhino Paper Straws that are unique in color and design, the Boca Raton company is meeting the demand for local product availability while making a global difference. Three hospitality companies will now use Rhino Paper Straws to help reduce the more than 500 million plastic straws that Americans use every day, which pollute our oceans and are ingested by sea birds, turtles and other marine life. The premier luxury restaurant-and-theater brand, iPic...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Vapur to the “Water Bottles/Reusable” section of its Green Product & Service Directory. Vapur started in 2009 with a mission to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles by creating the most portable reusable water bottle on the planet. Ten years later the mission is still the same and Vapur has won the hearts of millions with dozens of styles of collapsible, reusable BPA-FREE and freezable anti-bottles. Vapur has partnered with Elkay to launch the Vapur Refill Program, offering discounts on bottles and refill stations to national parks, hotels, schools and more....

SEATTLE—Sipping your hot coffee from a paper cup that you can recycle or compost in your community. Enjoying a cold coffee beverage with a recyclable, strawless lid instead of a conventional plastic straw. And checking the Starbucks mobile app to see the journey of your packaged coffee beans as they were grown, processed, traded and roasted. Starbucks leadership will unveil progress and plans on all these fronts at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders, noting that sustainable coffee, served sustainably is an area of particular passion for Starbucks and its more than 380,000 partners (employees) around the world. “It was at...

I spoke yesterday with the representative of a company that is developing a customizable water product that will be available in a carton to the entire lodging industry soon. Water is sold in a paper carton like cartons you purchase milk or orange juice in. Compared to plastic and glass, the carbon footprint of a carton is significantly less. It biodegrades much faster than plastic while still being recyclable. The carton I learned about has no BPAs or VOCs. I was sent some images of cartons that had been customized with photos of hotel properties on the outside and...

Vapur The Anti-Bottle Vapur started in 2009 with a mission to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles by creating the most portable reusable water bottle on the planet. Ten years later the mission is still the same and Vapur has won the hearts of millions with dozens of styles of collapsible, reusable BPA-FREE and freezable anti-bottles. While carrying a reusable bottle with you is key, you still need a place to refill! Vapur partnered with Elkay to launch the Vapur Refill Program, offering discounts on bottles & refill stations to National Parks, Hotels, Schools and more. To learn more...