#PlasticFreeJuly in Hospitality and How to Help

If you have been following our social media platforms, you’ll know that this month is #PlasticFreeJuly! To top it off we wanted to end it with a blog to summarise what we have shared, learned and implemented so that you can do it too. The hop is that plastic free changes don’t have to stay in July! While these tips were curated for with the hospitality industry in mind, most can be implemented in lots of industries.

The first issue in hospitality is that single use plastic has been so excessively used within the industry. With single use bathroom products in hotels, to the plastic sauce sachets in restaurants.  However, things are changing!  A lot of companies are now ruling out single-use plastic and are swapping to reusable or biodegradable products. Just look at McDonalds’ U-turn on plastic straws and all the chains that followed.

If you wish to make these changes, we’d suggest refillable soaps, shampoos and conditioners in your guests’ rooms. You should swap the condiments sachets for bottles. Bottles are typically seen as a bit more upmarket as a bonus.  The uptake in refillablewater bottles has been immense. To follow suit, you could swap to glasses to fill with the rooms’ water. You could even offer a refilling station in your reception area.  Refill stations are becoming more popular, and can be located through an app that you can find here – not only will this allow guests and passers-by to refill their bottle and save the environment, but it will also promote your hotel to the ethical standards a lot of people are looking for these days! It also may encourage foot fall into your hotel or restaurant.

And we can’t forget about retail!  A lot of shops are now switching to paper bags, so try to implement that into your workplace (and lifestyle) where possible. Even better it to incentivise your customers to bring their own reusable bags. You can do this by selling stylish and well-sized bags and charging for single-use bags.

And we can’t forget about retail during #PlasticFreeJuly!  A lot of shops are now switching to paper bags, so try to implement that into your workplace (and lifestyle) where possible.

It is hard to change habits, especially when the use of plastic has been such a constant and familiar concept to us. Cutting that out immediately can be really difficult.  We’re all going to need a plastic bottle on the days we forget our own, but the most important step is the first one – keep trying with the small and easier shifts and your contribution will make a difference!

Do you have any more plastic reduction tips for #PlasticFreeJuly at hospitality or home?  Let us know in the comments below!