Environmental Regulations and Initiatives in the Hospitality Industry

This article discusses the environmental regulations and initiatives in the hospitality industry, including waste management, water conservation, and renewable energy implementation. It also covers the resources and initiatives available in the state to help businesses reduce waste and improve resource usage. The article includes a section on measuring current consumption and identifying existing procedures of work practices and purchasing, as well as setting efficiency targets. The article concludes with an environmental resource efficiency improvement plan.

[Year]
UNIVERSITY AFFILIATION
BSBSUS401 ASSESSMENT 1
ASSIGNMENT V2

PART A
SECTION A
Legislation and sources of information for resources and initiatives
The environmental regulations in the hospitality industry within our local government focus on
the green practices which are devolved as programs or workplace practices. Some of the
practices are such as the water conserving fixtures and the linen reuse programs. Some of the
environmentally sustainable practices adopted in the industry tend to have a positive impact on
the guest satisfaction as there is a cost-benefit analysis. The local government requires that each
hotel has staff members who have certifications for the environmental efforts. The by-laws
require that each hotel gives an account of the resource consumption on a quarterly basis.
(i) The sewer systems are charged based on the water consumption for instance. While
performing a cost-benefit analysis such is considered and the hotel may opt to reduce
the water consumption by the guests and staff.
(ii) The regulations require that the water used to flash the toilets is obtained from
recycled bathroom water.
(iii) The hotels are expected to implement the best energy practices. For instance, there is
a lot of sunshine in our state. It is recommended that the hotel uses the solar power for
lighting and heating water for showers, swimming pools, jacuzzies, and other laundry
activities while other sources of power serve elsewhere. Clean energy is the focus to
ensure improved climate and less air pollution.
(iv) Disposal of wastes is regulated. The local government uses the international standards
that separates garbage into different bins and requires any electronics to be disposed
at the central disposal point to avoid pollution or improper disposal.
(v) The local government has a policy on green environments. It requires that each hotel
should ensure that 10 percent of its land is covered in green vegetation.
Some of the resources and initiatives that are in place or available in my state that help our
businesses reduce the waste produced and ensure better efficiency in resource usage are:
(i) The state has a well-established garbage collection system that is periodic and well
demarcated to ensure the citizens dispose the waste correctly.
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(ii) The state educates its people on recycling practices to ensure resources such as water
and energy are efficiently used. All businesses have a recycling policy document that
is read to all workers as well as the residents of the state. The state has adopted the
3Rs strategy to reduce, reuse and recycle. It involves all the stakeholders in the
environmental conservation strategic planning and implementation programs.
(iii) The state has been investing heavily to ensure that solar energy and wind power is
used in the residential and commercial setups in the town. The local government
lobbies for funding to ensure energy projects run smoothly and are carried out using
the resources efficiently.
One key initiative that affects the Tourism, Hospitality, and Events Industry is the waste
management systems. The local government in my region has very stringent practices and
procedures which are aligned with proper waste disposal, reduction, reuse, and recycling. A
lot of waste is obtained in my line of work and there is need for proper management. Some of
the resources that are available in this strategic plan for waste management are:
 Oxidation ponds and 3Rs – the water that is disposed from the washing areas such
as laundry rooms and bathrooms is collected at the oxidation pond. It is cleaned
up and reused to flash toilets as well as clean the very dirty sections of the hotels.
Such ensures that water resource is well utilized.
 Garbage separation - It is important to perform the garbage separation. There are
different garbage bin sizes which can hold plastic bottles, glass bottles, cans,
cards, paper, milk cartons, organic waste matter, electronics, and inflammables.
The organic matter can be disposed as manure for farming and the electronic
matter is disposed at the local electronics disposal point. The paper waste and
bottles can be recycled or sold to recycler companies.
 Renewable Energy implementation- energy is widely consumed in this industry.
The use of solar panels to heat water for use in washrooms and laundry areas can
save the company a lot of money.
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SECTION B
Measuring current consumption and identifying existing procedures of work practices and
purchasing.
See the Excel Spreadsheet analysis
13%
8%
3%
7%
5%
4%
33%
27%
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT & APPLIANCES
COMBI-OVENS
FRYERS
BAIN MARIE
HEAT LAMPS
STEAMER
GRILL
WALK-IN-FREEZER
WALK-IN-FRIDGE
The waste analysis and the data collection were performed for a period of the first four months of
the year. The data collectors were donning gloves and used tongs to physically inspect the
contents of the garbage bins from my department. Proper inspection was performed for each of
the waste categories such as glass, paper, card board, green waste, and electronics and their
percentage composition recorded for analysis.
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Purchasing strategies in place that include the environmentally sustainable approaches with
carbon foot print considerations:
(i) The appliances and equipment in the kitchen should be eco-friendly. The laundry
machines should be in a position to use very little water in cleaning the clothes.
(ii) The food supplied to the hotel should be obtained from the hotel environment or
kitchen garden or from a purely organic farmer. The local state is keen on ensuring
that the hoteliers do not sell GMO products to the customers.
Every workplace has environmental and occupational hazards bound to occur at any moment.
Some of the key hazards have to do with fire breakouts especially in the kitchen area or in the
guest house for power faults.
(i) Fire outbreaks
(ii) Power faults and surges
(iii) Human injury at work
(iv) Equipment failures and faults
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SECTION C
Setting efficiency targets
Parameter Description
1. Work and workflow
processes
a) Cleaning should be done in batches and at specific
times to ensure water conservation at the laundry
areas.
b) Installation of timed water taps to avoid water
wastage in washrooms in the guest area
2. Industry Schemes a) The hotel and events industry consume a lot of
water and energy as compared to other business.
Some businesses such as manufacturing
organization are keen on the energy use especially
in the off-peak hours where the cost is less.
3. Technology a) There is need for improved technology especially
in scheduling workflow for the basic processes.
4. Resources a) There is a benefit of using the gas over electricity
as electricity is expensive during peak hours unlike
other energy sources. The hotel can do most tasks
during the off-peak hours.
5. Best Practices a) Use technology sensors and timers – water
conservation
b) Use renewable energy sources - higher installation
costs and no operational costs.
c) Efficient and reliable workflow procedures.
PART B
Environmental resource efficiency improvement plan
Environmental Resource Efficiency Improvement Plan
1. Purpose of Plan To monitor and evaluate the environment conservation strategies in
the hotel industry by ensuring efficient use of resources.
2. Overview Some of the key issues in terms of water consumption, energy
consumption and waste management.
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3. Resource Areas
and targets
1. Water resource
2. Power and lighting resource
3. Waste disposal resources
4. Staff
compliance
with
environmental
requirements to
achieve new
targets
1. Improve the procedures and purchase environmental friendly
equipment to ensure that the staff interact with ecofriendly
workflow processes.
2. Release guidelines on the work schedule that are in line with
green environmental practices.
5. Purchase and
selection of
supply chains
1. It is important that the procurement incorporate the
environmental practices in the tendering processes.
2. Food items should be procured from organic farmers.
3. Garbage collectors need to demonstrate recycling functions
as well as proper disposal methods.
6. Communication
strategy
1. Circulate the guidelines and new policies to be followed by
all staff.
2. Set up important flash cards in guest rooms requesting guests
to use water conservatively.
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