Waste Disposal Methods And Its Impacts

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

1 Introduction

Tourism industry can have both positive and negative impacts on tourist destinations. Benefits include economic activity and employment opportunities. Negative impacts include deterioration of finite natural resources, and contribution to existing problems, such as increasing quantities of solid waste. Since tourism activities are linked to the characteristics of the setting, businesses in the tourism industry, such as hotels, depend on the sustainability of a high quality environment and therefore, have a role to play in the enhancement of natural resources. In many countries, environmental protection has often been neglected in the haste to achieve economic development, resulting in pollution, sanitation problems, intensified urban congestion and resource depletion.

Solid waste management (SWM) is a problem in well-developed countries. A lot of waste is produced from industrial and domestic activities that could create health problems and contaminate the environment if not well handled. To develop an efficient SWM system, it is important to understand how the wastes come about and the environmental conditions related to it.

2 What is Solid Waste

Households and industries generates huge amount of waste every day. Solid waste refers to items that are no longer of any use or value, which are often thrown away. As the country develops, waste becomes more complex in nature and also increases proportionally with the population.

3 Waste Disposal Methods and its Impacts

Waste disposal refers to the management of the huge amount of waste from modern societies. The environmental impact of waste disposal is not limited to the effects on the atmosphere; waste disposal also affects the world's flora and fauna. The two main methods of disposal are: Sanitary Landfill and Incineration.

3.1 Sanitary Landfill

A sanitary landfill is where majority of the waste produced daily is deposited. It can promote the spread of diseases and create health problem for the surrounding environment. It also serves as a breeding spot for pests, such as rats and flies. These pathogens are even more detrimental if they seep into groundwater.

3.2 Incineration

Incineration is one of the cleaner and more efficient ways to dispose of waste. The incinerator facilities are costly to build, maintain and operate. However, incineration creates carbon dioxide and other harmful gases which destroys the ozone layer.

4 Hotel Contribution to Waste

The hospitality sector contributes greatly to the generation of waste. In India, it has been noted that hotels and restaurant waste contribute around 25%-30% of total waste generated in the country. Also, in America, with over 3,936,000 guest rooms, produces approximately 13,600,000 tons of garbage every year (Lincoln Waste Solutions). At most hotels, waste is created at upwards of 1kg per guest per night, which is a large amount when multiplied by the number of hotels and guests around the world (Baker, 2013).

No matter where the hotel is situated, a lot of waste is generated from its daily operations and most of them do not know how to deal with it. In most hotels, a lot of space is allocated to common facilities such as the reception, lobby and restaurants. This leaves little space for waste to be stored and sorted before disposing. The main production of waste in hotels comes from restaurant. Waste is not only created in guest rooms but also in common areas such as hotel gardens and offices.

In a waste generation study, wastes from 25 hotels were examined. The result had showed that the hotel waste consisted of 46% food waste, 25.3% paper, 11.7% cardboard, 6.7% plastics, 5.6% glass, and 4.5% metals (Alexander, 2002). This gives a picture of the variety of waste that can be produced by only a small number of hotels in a city.

5 Findings – Western Australia

According to a study from Hofstede & Associates, four and five-star hotels in Western Australia dispose total of 11,749 tonnes of waste annually, to landfill or through scheduled recyclables collections. Of this, 7,707 tonnes is generated through normal daily operations and sent to landfill. As can be seen in Appendix 10.1 and 10.2, the largest stream is daily general (landfill) waste. In addition to regular collections of recyclables and landfill waste, the waste mainly arising from renovations or refits is sent to landfill intermittently. This amounts to 447 tonnes per annum.

5.1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The annual greenhouse gas emissions resulting from sending all waste from these hotel sectors to landfill are calculated in Appendix 10.3 using the method and conversion factors outlined by the Australian Department of Climate Change (DCC). The DCC gives conversion factors for the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) of methane generated as a result of disposing of various waste types in well-managed municipal landfills (Hofstede & Associates, 2008). Despite having the lowest CO2-e conversion factor of 0.9, food waste has the highest contribution of CO2-e generated per year due to the high amount food waste generated.

6 Sustainable Waste Management

6.1 Importance of Waste Management in Hotels

As we know, hotels generate large volumes of solid waste. By proactively managing these wastes, a hotel can reduce operating costs, preserve local nature attractions such as coral reefs and beaches, and reduce odours and pest infestations.

In some cases, poor disposal practices on the part of hotel management have led to the garbage washing up onto the beaches and contaminating the coastal waters, threatening to destroy the very attractions that lure visitors (Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, 2001).

Effective waste management helps ensure the long-term sustainability of fragile coastal ecosystems and preserve the natural beauty of beaches, coral reefs, forests and rivers that tourists come to enjoy. In addition to these long-term benefits, hotels that practice effective waste management will achieve benefits such as:

· reduced manpower requirements for waste handling and disposal

· revenue from the sale of recyclables

· protection from insect and rodent infestations

· reduction of fire hazards

· improved community relations

· compliance with government regulations and codes

· reduced odours and improved aesthetics and sanitation

· increased guest satisfaction

6.2 Three Aspects of Solid Waste Management

There are various perspectives to consider when seeking in obtaining an integrated view of SWM. Sustainability of a waste management system requires satisfaction of a minimum of three bottom-line: Economic, Environmental and Social sustainability.

6.2.1 Environment

Environmental aspects focus on the effects of waste management on land, water and air. It also reviews on the need for conservation of non-renewable resources, pollution control and public health concerns (WASTE, 2013).

Hospitality operations can impact on the environment during building construction, during the manufacture and use of fixtures and fittings, during the cultivation of good as well as using energy and waste or producing waste (Philip Sloan, 2013).

6.2.2 Economic

Economic aspects refers to budgeting and cost accounting within the waste management system. Some specific issues includes privatisation, cost recovery and cost reduction. It also includes the impact of environmental services on economic activities and how the recycling infrastructures connect to it. (WASTE, 2013).

A hospitality company committed to a sustainable business policy supports and participates in the development of the local economy and will aim to generate economic benefits for local people through increased local employment opportunities business linkages and other income-generating opportunities (Philip Sloan, 2013).

6.2.3 Socio-cultural

Socio-cultural aspects include the influence of culture on waste generation and management in the household and in businesses and institutions; the community and its involvement in waste management; the relations between groups and communities, between people of various age, sex, ethnicity and the social conditions of waste workers (WASTE, 2013).

A hospitality operation needs to be able to assess to social impact of its activities in order to enhance the well-being of individuals and communities issues such as fair trade and fair prices with regard to sourcing products and food items require consideration (Philip Sloan, 2013). Local food and beverage sourcing should be considered. Careful attention must be given to food safety issues and human health considerations as far as food and beverages offered is concerned.

6.3 Sustainable SWM Approach

6.3.1 Implementation of SWM Programme

1. Obtain Top Management’s Commitment and Support

The support of top management is an essential pre-requisite for the success of any SWM programme, as it would require an initial investment in time and possibly finances; the new programme could also lead to changes in responsibilities for some hotel staff or changes in procedures.

A decision-maker of the hotel who would like to achieve the benefits through practising the programme, the first step is to give a clear and strong signal of management’s commitment to and support of any efforts.

2. Carry out a waste audit

A waste audit is a simple but structured process of identifying and quantifying the amount and types of waste being generated by the hotel. The objective of a waste audit is to profile the waste streams by finding out information on:

· types of waste

· quantity of each waste stream

· how they are generated

· why they are generated

· where they are being generated

· how they are managed after being generated

Doing this alone will not reduce waste, but it will help to identify areas of wastage, and uncover opportunities to reduce, reuse or recycle waste materials. It will also help collect baseline data for measuring the effectiveness of the SWM system, after its implementation.

3. Set priorities and goals

After identifying opportunities for improving SWM, the property should identify the most attractive measures, prioritize them, and develop a simple implementation schedule or action plan that assigns responsibilities and sets target dates. The main guidelines to remember when managing waste in order of priority are: Reduce the generation of waste at the source, Reuse all possible items, and Recycle all possible items.

4. Implement the programme

Include staff at all stages so that they understand and support the scheme. Provide incentives and rewards to individuals who offer waste-saving ideas or make a significant contribution to the programme. Educate guests about the recycling and environmental policies and communicate priorities to suppliers.

5. Monitor, evaluate and fine-tune

Set criteria for monitoring and evaluating the programme, and decide how frequently to measure progress. Areas that may want to evaluate include:

· savings in purchases

· reduction in operating costs

· reduction in disposal and recycling costs

· increase in recycled-content purchases

· increase in productivity

· reduction in total waste and recyclable materials

7 Case Study of Good Practices in Hotels

7.1 Hilton Tokyo Bay, Japan

Ever since the SWM programme started in Hilton Tokyo Bay, it has saved over 50 million yen despite the rise of disposal costs. In 1998, the hotel has improved recycling rate of 45% each year to the current rate of 48.9% by constantly reviewing its waste management system. Associates even found a company to recycle used wooden chopsticks from the hotel’s restaurants (Refer to Appendix 10.4), which contributed to the decrease of waste generated by the hotel.

In an effort to promote recycling, the engineering department designed a special Hilton recycling container for housekeeping. It has been so successful that the company manufactures them on a large-scale basis and sells them to other hoteliers. The department has also collaborated with the housekeeping department to design and create a device for winding small pieces of unused toilet tissue for reusing purpose (Refer to Appendix 10.5). Cardboard has also been reduced when possible and subsituted with environmental-friendly and reusable plastic boxes.

7.2 The Regent Singapore

The Regent Singapore enjoys waste minimization of about 5%, reflecting the success of implementing various waste minimization measures.

The Regent Singapore is committed to:

1. Actively conserve natural resources and energy in the Hotel without compromising on the Hotel’s safety and operational standards.

2. Benchmark our energy utilisation and consumption with good hotel industry practices.

3. Efficiently manage our waste production in order to benefit the Environment.

Recycle bins are set up at designated locations and all kitchens. The items being recycled include cans, cooking oil, bottles and cartons, plastic, paper and cartons. In addition, they trained the kitchen/stewarding staff to segregate food waste and general waste at source that is all kitchens (Refer to Appendix 10.6). This has reduced the waste disposal to the landfill considerably.

8 Recommendations

Planning for SWM is a challenging task because of its complexity. Some recommended actions and opportunities have been identified to help the waste management program improve its environmental management system and achieve the environmental, economic and social goals of sustainable development.

8.1 Buy in bulk and use eco-friendly alternatives

Buy non-toxic cleaning products in concentrate and in bulk to reduce packaging and costs, and choose suppliers who use reusable and refillable containers.

For toiletries, switch to dispensers and purchase bulk containers. The Scandic hotel chain found that only 15% of its soaps, shampoos and conditioners were used, with the balance thrown away. By replacing traditional amenities with bulk items, Scandic has reduced its waste volume by 40% and packaging waste by 11 tonnes annually (Recycling Guide, 2009).

8.2 Training and Education

Educational activities for the hotels, other waste haulers and general public should be conducted to expand the impact of the waste management program and establish an excellent centre. Environmental education is a way of increasing understanding of problems, cooperation among stakeholders, environmental entrepreneurship and environmental performance. For example, if hotel staff saw how waste was sorted and gained an appreciation of the difficulty and safety risks involved, this would encourage better source separation.

8.3 Involvement of Employee and the Community

Through training, job enlargement and career advancement, employees will gain a better understanding of waste management, develop new skills, increase their involvement in decisions concerning how the program is run, and contribute to the process of innovation. If employees feel that their work is significant and that their opinions are valued, they will be inclined to become more involved in improving the program.

Hotels should also initiate activities to involve the community and raise awareness of environmental and waste issues. Increased community involvement would build the program’s relationships with its surrounding community. Community involvement could be increased by raising community awareness about waste management issues through outreach programs such as opening a community learning centre and providing waste management services for the local community.

9 Conclusion

Even though waste is a major issue for hoteliers, good waste management can be exercised. Little efforts by small establishment may seem to have no impact, but if everyone does their part, it can contribute significantly to the environment. Landfill capacity is not infinite, incineration is not always an option and waste legislation is becoming increasingly tough. In addition, many items that are disposed of can have an afterlife when reused or recycled into something else. It is ideal for every industry to research and find ways to maximize the use of waste products and minimize waste production. Good waste management practice can also be consolidated and shared throughout the world.