Reduce your Waste -

Business Waste Toolkit for the tourism industry

Reduce waste - Reduce costsReducing your business waste at source and identifyingrecycling opportunities minimises the amount of money youhave to spend on waste disposal. Reducing waste can therefore,increase business efficiency and improve your bottom line.

This business waste toolkit is designed to help the tourism industry Reduce, Reuse and Recycle business waste.

Scotland has a new Zero Waste Plan which sets realistic,ambitious and sustainable objectives so we can work towards a greener, less wasteful Scotland.

To find out more about sustainable tourism and the Zero Waste Plan for Scotland please visit:

8www.visitscotland-sustainabletourism.com

8www.zerowastescotland.org.uk

Food WasteReducing and recycling your food waste is more cost effective than putting it in yourwaste bin, particularly as landfill taxes are due to rise in the future.

In landfill, food breaks down to produce methane - a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than CO2.

Check the temperature and operation of your fridgesand freezers. If a fridge is warmer than 5OC then thefood inside will go off quicker than it should, therebycreating excess waste.

PlasticAn estimated 13 billion plastic bottles arethrown away each year in the UK. All plasticbottles with the symbols and can be recycled.

Recycled plastic bottles can be made into new materials such as fleeces, garden furniture, compost bins and new plastic bottles.

In some areas you will also be able to recycle mixed plastics such as food trays, yoghurt pots and plastic lids.

Contact your local Council or recycling collector to check which typeof plastic is accepted for recycling in your area.

Paper & CardboardIt can take just seven days for old magazines and newspapers to be recycledinto new ones.

To make cost savings and reducewaste, consider buying materials inbulk to reduce the packaging needed.

Help create a market for recycled products and save raw materialsby changing your stock to products made of recycled materials.These can often be purchased at the same or a lower price andcould include office paper, toilet rolls and stationery.

Glass Bottles & JarsRecycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycledendlessly without loss of quality.

Some manufacturers have reduced the weight of bottles to use lessglass; some by as much as a fifth. Purchasing products manufacturedwith less glass can help to make a significant environmental saving.

Many businesses find that glass is one of their heaviest and bulkiestwaste items. All colours of glass are widely recyclable and mostCouncils will accept glass in trade waste collections. Look at theuseful contacts page for more information.

Food and Drinks CansRecycling aluminium is 20 times more efficient than making it from the rawmaterial, bauxite.

Food and drinks cans are widely recyclable and will be accepted by your local Council trade wastecollection or private contractor.Some collections also accept empty aerosol cans so ask your collector if you can recycle these too.

Many of your visitors will have drinks from cans throughout the day,make recycling facilities available to them to collect this waste.

Check with your local Council to find out if they offer food waste collections or organise your own private collection. Check the useful contacts page for more information.

There are lots of ways you can reduce theamount of waste you produce. The simplepractices of Reduce, Reuse and Recyclecan often make a significant difference.

Waste Hierarchy

Follow the waste hierarchyand you should be able toreduce your business wasteand waste disposal bill.

Reduce Waste – Reduce Costs

The R’s; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle represent the three most important options in the waste hierarchy and includeprevention of waste, refurbishment andrecovery (such as composting) as optionsto avoid waste going to landfill.

Follow the three R's...

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Disposal

Sustainability

How you deal with your waste can have a significant impact on your guest'sexperience. Clear messages on your waste management will enhancecustomer perceptions of your businesses commitment to sustainabletourism and could encourage and inspire guests to get involved too!

How to show your guests that you care...

· Be proud of your achievements and highlight these to your guests in marketing materials

· Highlight your sustainability aspirations and waste management approaches on your website/marketing materials

· Actively demonstrate the benefits of reusing and recycling with quirkyfacts on the amount of waste disposed of in a sustainable manner

· Get visitors involved i.e. recycling facilities in common areas

· Encourage staff to actively promote sustainable practices when dealing with guests

Promoting Waste Awareness

Reduce

Unwanted mailUnwanted mail generates thousands of tonnes of unnecessary paper waste each year. In a few simplesteps you can reduce the amount of unwanted mailyou receive, reducing your waste and benefiting theenvironment.

How can I reduce my business waste?

Disposable productsAvoid using disposable products such as cutlery, cups and paper towels as your business will need to purchase new materials frequently, which is costlyand creates waste. Instead use durable products suchas metal cutlery and hand driers. Also consider hiringproducts like glasses and plates, if you only requirethem for one occasion.

Reuse

Furniture reuseScotland has over 60 furniture reuse projects which accept a wide range of items including sofas, beds, wooden furniture, washing machines and muchmore. You can donate your old furniture or buy furniture from these organisationswhen you are looking to refurbish yourbusiness space.

In 2007, community organisations in Scotland reused more than 14,000 tonnesof furniture and appliances, therefore diverting this waste from landfill.

Reuse to lower disposal costs

CompostingComposting is a great way to make use of yourkitchen and garden waste. Not only does compostingreduce your waste for disposal but it also provides a free soil conditioner for your grounds. Contact your local Council for information on composting or speak to local businesses and form a communitycomposting project.

RepairsWe often throw away items that could be repaired.When one of the appliances in your business stops working, take it to be repaired. This will reduce your waste and may prove to be more cost effective. Alternatively, furniture can be reupholstered to give it a fresh look instead of buying new pieces.

Carrier bagsPlastic carrier bags don’t degrade easily andcan take hundreds of years to break down,as well as being a source of pollution and a threat to wildlife.

Your business can help to reduce the use of carrier bags and help keep Scotlandbeautiful.

Bags for life are a great way of promotingyour business and its environmental credentials to visitors and many will behappy to buy a bag for life as a souvenirfrom their trip.

Your business can realise economic and environmentalbenefits by reducing and recycling waste:

4 Contact your local Council to ask about their business waste collections

4 Arrange for a local recycling company or waste disposal firm to collectyour business waste

4 Visit the websites below for more information on facilities and companiesin your area which can help you to manage your business waste

What to do next –Useful contacts

8www.wasteawarebusiness.org.uk

Provides information and tools onhow to Reduce, Reuse and Recycleyour business waste as well as a directory of local facilities and companies.

8www.envirowise.wrap.org.uk

Provides free, independent advice to help you become more resourceefficient and save money. Also offersadvice on managing unavoidablewaste and working with suppliers.

To find your nearest community furniture reuse project visit:8www.sort-it.org.uk

To find out more information about carrier bags and what you can do to reduce and reuse them, please visit:8www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/bags

Recycle

To reduce your waste disposal costs and benefit theenvironment, try to recycle as much of your businesswaste as possible. In addition to the materials featuredoverleaf you may also be able to source recycling for:

Small electrical and electronic equipment Garden wasteHousehold batteries

How can I recycle my business waste?

In your area there may be different options for recycling, depending on the size of your business and amount of waste produced.

To find out more:

4 Contact your local Council’s trade waste service. They may be ableto arrange for collection of your waste.

4 Check if your small business can access Community Recycling Centres using a trade waste permit.

4 Your local Council may offer a special uplift service for larger items.

To start reducing your unwanted mail visit: 8www.stop-the-drop.org.uk

Useful WebsitesVisitScotlandvisitscotland.org

VisitScotland Sustainable Tourismscotland-sustainabletourism.com

Zero Waste Scotlandzerowastescotland.org.uk

Keep Scotland Beautifulksbscotland.org.uk

Do something today…small changes in how you dealwith your business waste can make a big differenceto your bottom line and the environment.