Hoteliers could do more to recycle the millions of tonnes of waste they throw away each year in the UK, according to experts.
Waste expert Harsha Rathnayake is urging the hospitality sector to clean up and recycle, reuse and sort materials where ever they can.
Mr Rathnayake, the founder of JunkHunters, a UK waste management service, believes by sorting the waste they collect, hoteliers could make a difference to the environment.
Currently the hotel sector generates almost a million tonnes of food waste annually, 1.3 million tonnes of packaging and 0.66 million tonnes of non-food items including disposable kitchen paper and newspaper*.
Around 62% of packaging and other non-food items are recycled with the highest level of recycling from glass and cardboard.
As well as food waste and packaging, other items consigned to landfill may include mattresses, electrical equipment, batteries, furniture and other bulky waste items.
Mr Rathnakaye has been collecting commercial rubbish in London for over a decade and recently opened a second centre in Birmingham.
He believes by taking the time to sort rubbish correctly, the hotel sector could make a positive difference to the environment.
Mr. Rathnayake said: “Businesses are slowly becoming more conscious of the waste materials they produce but this change isn’t happening quickly enough.
“The hotel sector produces vast amounts of waste material. Not all can be recycled and reused, but the bulk of it can.
“Providing it’s well sorted, packaging, furniture and electrical equipment can all be recycled and reused. Good quality donations including furniture are always welcomed by charities.
“At JunkHunters recycling is very important to us. We currently recycle 75% of all the waste we collect and are working towards a target of 80%.
“If materials can’t be reused, our team assesses whether they can be recycled, and we work closely with contractors across the UK to ensure materials reach the relevant processing and recycling centres.
“We’ve been operating in London for over ten years now and have seen the demand for our service grow rapidly. Having just opened in Birmingham as part of our UK expansion plans, we have had plenty of commercial enquiries already.
“Where we stand out is that we offer a personalised service that is a lot cheaper than hiring a skip and you can be sure that materials are reused and recycled if possible.”
JunkHunters provides a fully accredited and reputable commercial waste disposal service that helps remove all waste materials as quickly and ethically as possible.
All waste clearance teams adhere to strict green business credentials which guarantee the recycling of materials where possible.
