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UNIT 4: ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Environment Status Review for Waste
WASTE FACTSHEET
Waste disposal is a major economic and environment challenge facing all societies.
• Waste generated by hospitality businesses include:
- Paper and cardboard items such as stationery, disposable items and packaging;
- Aluminium products such as beverage cans and tins;
- Plastic items such as packaging, containers and disposable items;
- Organic waste such as food waste and garden trimmings;
- Hazardous waste such as batteries, solvents, paints and anti-fouling agents;
- Building materials and furniture;
- Oils and fat;
- End-of-life appliances and furniture.
• Municipal waste (which includes the above) is recycled, incinerated or land filled. In
most countries, most waste goes for landfill.
• Landfill sites have significant environment impacts. In an effort to reduce landfill
volumes, many countries are enforcing landfill taxes and legislation to discourage
new sites. Simultaneously, efforts are being made to increase the recycling of paper,
plastic and aluminium wastes. The incineration of waste with heat recovery is also
being promoted, though to lesser extent.
• For tourism businesses, the revenue gains through the sale of reusable and recyclable
wastes can greatly offset the costs of waste separation, bailing and compacting.
• The waste management hierarchy is:
- Avoid;
- Reduce;
- Reuse;
- Recycle;
- Recover.
See page 105 for details on each aspect of the hierarchy.
• Based on material use and recycling statistics from the US:
- Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours;
- Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours;
- Every 3 weeks, Americans dispose of an amount of used motor oil equivalent to the
Exxon Valdez oil spill;
- Recycling one tonne of paper saves 1,400-kilowatt hours of energy, enough to heat
an average American home for 6 months.
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