green tourism awards - hints & tips (recycling and waste reduction)

energy saving water recycling purchasing

The following suggestions are just some of the ways that companies like yours have previously managed to save money, reduce waste and win new custom. While not all of the ideas will be relevant to your work, they are all based on real-life experience and have produced tangible results. These are only general guides, of course, so if you would like more specific information relevant to your operations, please contact us. We will be very happy to help.

1. Recycling helps you to reduce trade waste bills. No one enjoys having to pay to have rubbish taken away, but at least you can do something to minimise the amount of waste you produce. In addition to the usual domestic recycling centres, there are a number of schemes operated by local businesses that have been set up to collect particular types of waste from commercial businesses. Some of the materials that have typically been covered by such schemes include glass, cooking oil and paper. In some cases, you may even be able to gain an income by supplying the waste materials, especially if you can supply a significant volume. (This is one opportunity to benefit from forming alliances with other local businesses - as explained below.)

2. Launch your own scheme. In parts of the North West, groups of hoteliers, restaurant owners and others in the catering and hospitality industries have banded together to launch their own recycling schemes. These may range from making group contributions to the cost of a bottle bank, to making group discount savings through a formal arrangement with a commercial waste contractor. In addition to reducing costs, it might be that by banding together with others, you can provide sufficient quantities of materials to gain a small income from a commercial waste recycling specialist.

The following pages have more tips about saving energy, saving water and purchasing policies.