The management of waste in large chain hotels – a review of corporate sustainability reporting

Abstract

Introduction: The tourism industry contributes significantly to the daily metric tons of solid waste sent to landfills (Sobti et al., 2024). Hotels, a central entity to the industry, impose various environmental impacts with waste generation being a central issue (De Grosbois, 2012). Generally, the higher the star rating, the higher the quantity of waste generated (Sobti et al., 2024), with organic waste representing the highest fraction (Santamarta et al., 2023, Chaabane & Abdallah, 2019). However, fractions like plastics, carton, electronics etc., are equally preoccupying (Santamarta et al., 2023). On a macro basis, tourism related waste was estimated to increase local generation figures by as much as 25 per cent (Santamarta et al., 2023). On a micro basis, waste originating from a 5-star buffet dinner service can reach three times that generated during an a-la carte dinner. Hotels also tend to function in a linear system and contribute extensively to the pervasive problem of single-use plastic where the waste generated has little chance of being recovered (Camilleri-Fenech et al., 2020). Waste generation therefore is central to the environmental impacts imparted by hotels. This is also noted in the sustainability reporting which, in recent years, has taken a central stage whereby waste related issues are reported together with water and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.