Government frames guidelines for five-star hotels to prevent water, food wastage

Amid concerns that
five-star hotels generate a lot of wastage and misuse water, the Central
government has come up with guidelines for five-star hotels to ensure an
environment-friendly venture. The guidelines prepared by the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) were presented in Lok Sabha by Jayanthi
Natarajan, Minister for Environment and Forests, Government of India,
yesterday, PTI reported.

Under the guidelines, five-star hotels have been asked to donate leftover
untouched food to local shelters or food banks and also offer guests the
option to order half portions to reduce food waste. The hotels have also been
asked to purchase refillable soap, hair rinse and hand lotion dispensers for
guest rooms and donate partially-used products.

The guidelines say, “Purchase towels and sheets made from 100 per cent
natural cotton, containing no chemical, dyes or bleaches. Donate used linen
to local shelters or other charities. Assuming a 50 per cent occupancy rate,
a 200-room hotel uses almost eight million gallons of water in a year. Using
water-efficient fixture could save nearly 2.5 million gallons of water a
year.”

To encourage environmentally-responsible purchasing practices, the guidelines
suggest buying recycled products. “Purchase toilet tissue, facial tissues
and paper towels made from recycled paper. Buy cleaning products that are
biodegradable. Use recycled paper for letterhead and guest room
stationery,” state the guidelines.

Noting that most five-star hotels are treating only waste water generated from
kitchen and laundry, the guidelines suggest that entire waste water generated
from kitchen, laundry and domestic sewage should be treated in a biological
Sewage Treatment Plant.