Solid Waste Management Practices in Selected Hotel Chains and Individual Properties

Abstract

Results of a descriptive study of solid waste management issues in selected hotel chains and individual properties are presented. The majority of the hotel corporations and individual hotel properties had implemented a program to decrease the volume of waste. Issues impacting the decision to initiate a solid waste management program rated most important by both groups were waste disposal fees and a positive public image. Practices implemented most frequently included: collapsing cardboard boxes, sorting waste by type of material, crushing glass, and baling paper and cardboard. The practices implemented and the type of materials recycled varied by geographic location of the property, corporate's emphasis on the importance of recycling and reduction of waste disposal costs, and the infrastructure of the organization. Key Words: Solid waste, hotel, recycle, disposal costs, cor porate policy, public image and the environment.

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