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WASTE RECYCLING CONSIDERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT for
HOTELS, RESORTS & MOTELS

 

(For More Information Read the Article Below the Equipment - Material Table)

	Waste & Recycling Equipment Category	Brief Description / Typical Application	Main Material Classes (Select the materials below for additional information)
	Self Contained Compactors	Great for large volumes of Wet Waste
	Compacting Dumpsters - 6 Yd Front & Rear Load	Resorts, Hotels and Motels can reduce trash volume significantly with Outdoor Compacting Dumpsters that are tipped onsite by Haulers	Mixed Trash
	Trash Chute Compactors for High Rise Buildings	Existing Trash Chutes feed into a compactor which uses 2 Yard Steel Containers that are tipped onsite by hauler	Mixed Trash
	Hopper Compactors	Compactors that are placed at the dock	Mixed Trash
	Indoor Hopper Compactors	Easy to use Compactors that can be placed inside (on street level) that are used in conjunction with 2 yd Steel Containers on Casters that are tipped onsite by Haulers.	Mixed Trash
	Thru-the-Wall Compactors	Compactors that are placed outdoors but the trash is fed into the compactors from indoors.	Mixed Trash
	Single Stream Self Contained Compactors (with Two Compartments)	Large volume Hotels and Resorts can use one dual compartment compactor for processing both Recyclables and non-recyclables	Recyclables and Mixed Trash
	30” Standard Baler	Prodices small  30" bales of PET, Cardboard and Cans	PET	Cardboard	Cans
	36” Stockroom Baler	36" Stockroom Baler is small but super efficient	Cardboard	PET	Shrink Wrap
	42” High Density Vertical Baler	This is a great midsize baler for Cardboard, PET and more.	Cardboard	PET	Plastic Wrap
	60” Economy Cardboard Baler	Great choice for baling cardboard	Cardboard	Plastic Wrap	Newsprint
	60" High Density Baler	Up to 1,100 pounds of Shredded ONP - Newspaper	Newsprint
	Container Ready Compactors	Compact mixed trash or recycllables directly into existing trash containers (96 gal or 64 gal).	Mixed Trash	Recyclables
	Glass Bottle Crusher	Low Noise Level and will crush large volumes of glass bottles. Can be used in conjunction with 37 gallon and 64 gallon Wheelie Bins.	Glass Bottles

 

About 50 to 60% of a Hotel's waste is recyclable.  This varies based on the hotel's size, occupancy, meal service, number of conventions, and lounge business.  Materials that Hotels can recycle include newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, fluorescent lamps, office paper, steel cans, plastic bottles, batteries, printer cartridges and computer equipment. 

Each day, a first-class hotel will generate on average 3.2 pounds of waste per room + 2 pounds of waste per meal served.  An economy hotel will generate on average 1.7 pounds of waste per room + 1.2 pounds of waste per meal served each day.  Motels will generate approximately 2 pounds of waste per room each day.  Hotels will generate approximately one cubic yard of waste per room, per month which is the equivalent of 200 gallons of waste per room, per month (rounded).  A Motel generates a little less at .75 cubic yards of waste per room, per month or 150 gallons per room per month (rounded).

Cardboard (OCC)

Corrugated boxes often represent 40 to 50% of the waste stream of a Hotel.  Recycling cardboard plays a critical role in the Recycling Program of a Hotel.  Cardboard should be the first material to be recycled.  Corrugated Cardboard should be baled and stored for pickup by a Recycling Company.  The use of a Vertical baler to bale the cardboard usually offers less than a two year payback for a hotel.

Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans are flattened by a baler, either manual or automatic, then tied into bales.  They can also be blown into transportation trailers to be shipped. Contaminants can be a problem with aluminum can recycling.  Lead, iron, foil and other metals are contaminants. In addition, paper labels, plastic labels, glass and even dirt or mud are considered contaminants to aluminum can processing.  Aluminum cans should not be recycled with other aluminum like pans, food trays, etc.

Fluorescent Lamps

Spent fluorescent lamps are regulated by U.S. EPA because they contain mercury.. Hotels and Motels use a substantial amount of fluorescent lamps which makes them a lucrative recycling material.  You should always keep fluorescent lamps contained and away from guests and employees for safety. To prepare them for recycling and keep them contained, a Fluorescent Lamp Crusher is the best bet.  A Fluorescent Lamp Crusher is the answer to efficiency and recycling of fluorescent lamps. 

Plastic Bottles

There are two primary types of plastic generated in hotels and motels. These are PETE and HDPE.  These are incompatible resin types and should be collected separately for recycling.  Both can and should be recycled. Recylable PETE usually consists of spent soda bottles and some custom plastic bottles.  Clear and green soft drink and liquor bottles, some cooking oil and coffee containers and some water containers are usually PETE (check label or with the manufacturer for confirmation). 

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) are usually natural colored bottles like milk containers, water containers and some juice containers.

Bales of either of these plastics are generally rejected when contaminated. Contaminates can include any other type of plastic (PETE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS), dirt/mud, stones, pesticides or herbicides, deteriorated HDPE, detergents, oils and of course medical waste.  Caps and lids should be removed and the plastics rinsed prior to baling for recycling.

A vertical baler can be used to bale plastics.

Newspapers

News papers can be accumulated at multiple collection points and then taken to a vertical baler in a recycling room.  The vertical baler can be used to bale the newspapers for recycling. Generally haulers will accept 30 and 60 inch bales of newspapers, but check with your recycling hauler for further specifications and requirements.

Equipment

Equipment needed to prepare and store recyclable materials in Hotels can include large storage containers such as roll-off containers and portable recycling containers.  In addition, balers are needed to bale cardboard and office papers.  Aluminum cans and plastic bottles can also be baled using their own designated balers to avoid contamination.  A dumpster should also be conveniently located to be used for non-recyclable materials to keep them separated.

Roll-off containers are covered and have sliding doors.  These are available in different sizes, but be sure to select a container as large as the space permits in order to reduce the number of times the container is hauled.  The payback is worth it.

Compacting dumpsters can be used to store specific recyclable materials such as office paper and newspaper.  Compacting dumpsters make more sense at smaller hotels that generate less recyclable materials.  For larger hotels, the roll-off containers are better because dumpsters need to be emptied more often thus increasing the cost of recycling.

A vertical baler is the most frequently used recycling processing equipment in a Hotel's Recycling Program.  Because of the massive amount of cardboard a Hotel produces, a Hotel will quickly fill a recycling roll-off if the cardboard is not baled in a baler.  For most if not all Hotels, purchasing a baler (or multiple balers) is a wise economic decision.   The investment in a baler is easily paid back via recycling efforts. 

 

What's Needed for a Successful Full Scale Recycling Program?

Equipment

To implement a full-scale recycling program each facility needs indoor recycling collection containers to be placed near generation points.  Curb side collection containers can be used outdoors in parking areas and garages.  Carts are used to transport the collected recyclable material to the main collection point.  Vertical balers, horizontal balers, and compactors are used to prepare the materials for the recycling company to pick up.  A pallet jack may be necessary to move and stack larger bales of cardboard. 

Education

Educating your employees on your recycling program is a key ingredient to being successful in any hospital.  The more you can educate, the more participation you will have.  The more education your employees gain, the more they will accept the program and the tasks associated with making it a success.  Educate your staff on possible contaminants, how much your bills will be reduced by the program, safety considerations and new routines.  Provide updates and success stories via e-mails and flyers.  Reminding staff of processes and program issues and any contamination problems will continue the refinement of the program.  Meet with staff regularly to see what issues or questions they have. And don't forget to obtain your employee's input to make them understand and feel their importance in your recycling program.

 

How to Start a Recycling Program in your Hotel

Create a Team

The first step to a Recycling Program is to create a Recycling Team. Assign an employee team or committee to research your hotel's waste stream and waste handling practices.  It's best to also assign a Recycling Manager to lead the team.  In large hotels, a full time Recycling Manager and possibly some full-time team members may be necessary and lucrative.  In addition to a committee, getting everyone involved is a key to success.  Create employee interest and incentives. If employees are involved in the initial stages of the program, they will likely take great pride and ownership in the program. The Recycling Committee can then work work hotel management to design a program to reduce, reuse and recycle.  Develop a meeting schedule for the Recycling Committee.  The Committee should start out meeting daily to establish the plan of action; then continue to meet on a weekly and then monthly basis to implement and monitor the Recycling Program's progress.

Evaluate and Create Goals

Establish a system to evaluate waste hauling costs, track disposal and evaluate materials for recycling.  As the evaluation takes place, goals can be set. Make the goals public by posting them on bulletin boards and sending out e-mail updates so that all employees are informed.  Start a waste audit to identify the types and quantities of recycling materials.   In the audit, figure the size of containers and equipment needed to collect and store recyclable material. 

Budget

Establish a budget for recycling containers and equipment.  Research equipment and container prices.  Combine this information with the evaluation of recycling paybacks and then present this to the Recycling Committee and Hotel Management.

Implementation

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For a quick overview of Waste Reduction & Recycling Tips for Hotels, click here

For assistance in determining the best approach for your particular facility, email WasteCare Corporation at sales@wastecare.com and in addition to your contact information, let us know the approximate volume of trash being hauled from your facility each week or month and the approximate waste hauling cost each month and we will be glad to give you some suggestions.

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