Hotels without plastic!

Tourists expect clean beaches and clear water... ...but the reality is often different. Plastic waste is now a constant companion in nature. Disposable products used in the hotel industry have a share in this.

Plastic waste from hotels?

Of course there are many sides to the problem. Too much plastic is produced, too much is thrown away and through bad management in waste disposal the disposable products end up in the environment. However, anyone who has spent their holidays in large hotel complexes realizes that hotels could make a significant contribution to prevention. Less plastic used also means less plastic thrown away. This is especially crucial in countries with a lack of public waste management.

Reusable instead of disposable

The WWF study, in which the VKI - Association for Consumer Information was involved, investigated the possibilities and barriers in Mediterranean hotels to avoid disposable plastic and to look for reusable alternatives. Not all measures are equally effective and some ideas are expensive to implement. And it always requires the support of employees and suppliers, the support of a determined policy and the acceptance of guests.

Sustainable certified hotels go further

The study makes recommendations for all sectors and parties involved: hotels, tour operators and tourists. It shows which alternatives make sense, because substitution with other materials is not always the best solution. It shows that hotels that have already been certified in the sustainability sector are more advanced in waste and plastic prevention than non-certified hotels.

Here you can download the whole study (.zip file 18 MB)

The topic at konsument.at: https://www.konsument.at/cs/Satellite?pagename=Konsument/MagazinArtikel/Detail&cid=318918261436