Blog - Waste sorting at hotels – new sustainable solutions

Waste sorting at hotels – new sustainable solutions

Waste sorting is becoming more common and is also required by the new Waste Act. Sorting waste into different categories is also necessary to apply for the international Green Key Ecolabel for accommodation establishments. Which modern solutions make waste sorting simple and convenient and how can you support your visitors in sorting their waste?

Should waste-sorting be organised in hotel rooms or hallways?

The first step in organising waste sorting is to decide the most convenient and efficient way to do it. One option is to set up a sorting station in each room so that customers could conveniently dispose of their waste as soon as it’s produced. It is unfortunately not always the best solution. Hotel rooms are often quite small and may not fit a sorting station. It would also become quite a big investment as you’d need to purchase a lot of sorting stations. Another option is to include sorting stations in the hallways and the lobby. The customers would need to get used to this solution, but experience shows that many accommodation establishments implement this solution successfully.

Puhastusimport-Longopac-jäätmekäitlus-prügi-sorteerimine

Longopac – a modern and sustainable waste management solution

The flexible, innovative and ecofriendly Longopac waste management system offers suitable solutions for all room types. Do you prefer a 1–4-module sorting station or a bin frame fitted into existing furniture? Longopac fits perfectly into the interior of your accommodation establishment.

Solutions excellent for accommodation establishments:

Bin Multi 1-4-module sorting stations
Stylish plywood Ecolong Multi 1-3-module sorting stations
Flexible Flex frames that can be fitted into existing furniture

The Swedish-born Longopac waste management system offers smarter waste management and a unique packaging solution. The Longopac system makes waste collection more efficient, ecofriendly and hygienic in comparison with the use of normal bin bags.

How to make waste sorting simple and convenient?

Accommodation establishments host a lot of foreigners so you must consider a lot of different types of people with different cultural backgrounds, language skills and habits. The customers certainly include people who are already aware of the importance of waste sorting and know how to do it, but there are lots of those who have not had much experience. To make sure all customers know exactly where to throw their waste, it is important to supply the bins with easily understandable universal guidelines. It would be best if the labelling is visible from afar so that people would not have to stand in front of the bin, trying to figure out where to throw their waste. The easier and more convenient waste sorting is for the customer, the more likely it is that their waste ends up in the correct bin.

Labelling options:

Text – write the type of waste the bin is meant for on it (consumer waste, biowaste, etc.).
Sorting guidelines – in accommodation establishments, we must consider customers who have not had much sorting experience. It is therefore good to supplement the bins with more thorough guidelines so that customers can check where to throw which kind of waste.
Pictograms – as we can’t always rely on the language skills of customers, it is good to additionally use more universal solutions. One option is to supply the bins with pictograms that explain which waste can be thrown in them.
Colour coding – the other more universal option is to use agreed colour codes for different types of waste. In Estonia, 5 colours are generally used: yellow – packaging, blue – paper and cardboard, green – glass, black – consumer waste, brown – biowaste. The colours are clearly visible from afar and if the customers know the colour code, it is easy to hit the right bin. Unfortunately, a universal international colour code has not yet been created so it is good to additionally use the other types of labelling.

Each type of labelling has its pros and cons. It is therefore best to use them all together. This is how you support your customers in maximising waste sorting and increase the likelihood that waste ends up where it’s meant to go.