Britain’s hotels are sending 20 million soap bars to landfill every year
The Lowry Hotel in Manchester leads the way in reducing carbon footprint of hospitality industry
Manchester hotel is encouraging others in the industry to get on board
Ever wondered what happens to the half-used soaps and mini toiletry bottles you use in hotel rooms? Research suggests that approximately 20 million bars of soap are being wasted every year in the UK*.
The five-star Lowry Hotel in Manchester has announced it’s taking a huge step in its sustainability programme by signing up to a revolutionary toiletry recycling scheme, which will stop its 50,000 soaps used by guests going to landfill every year.Clean the World, a global leader in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and sustainability, recycles discarded soap bars and empty toiletry bottles from hotel rooms and distributes them to those in need, preventing millions of hygiene-related illnesses and deaths every year.
The initiative sees half-used soaps from The Lowry Hotel shipped to a recycling centre in Amsterdam. The surface of recycled soap is sanitised then ground into soap “noodles”, before being pressed and cut into brand new 80g bars. The hygienically cleaned soaps are then distributed to charities across the globe.
As part of the scheme, the hotel will also send its empty bottles to a recycling plant, where they will be recycled and prevented from going to landfill.
This is just one of the eco schemes the hotel has initiated on its journey to becoming a greener more eco aware business. Other projects include using sustainability sourced produce in its restaurant and offering a ‘eco turndown’ option for guests, to reduce its carbon footprint.
Adrian Ellis, General Manager of The Lowry Hotel, said: “Whilst many of us love the novelty of miniature toiletries when we stay in hotel rooms and as a five-star hotel our guests expect it, they are one of the biggest causes of waste in the industry, with hundreds of soaps and bottles a day being thrown away half-used. The scheme stops these toiletries from ending up in landfill and we’re thrilled to be involved.
“Sustainability is something that is hugely important to us as a business and we are constantly looking for new ways to do our part in helping the environment. The Clean the World program is a fantastic opportunity for us to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Four Manchester hotels including the Lowry are taking part in the scheme and are among the first hotels in the UK to sign up.