If you work in hospitality, you know that right now every penny counts. Between soaring food price inflation1 and recent tax changes2, many venues in the industry are finding it tough, and uncovering new ways to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency is more important than ever.
The importance of waste management and cleaning practices in saving money and improving productivity can often be overlooked.
Let’s take a closer look at the hidden costs in this aspect of hospitality, and how your hotel or restaurant can start working more efficiently.
Cut costs with better recycling
You may think improving your venue’s sustainability credentials is the only benefit of introducing efficient multi-stream recycling throughout your venue. However, recycling well – or not – actually impacts your business’ bottom line.
Take a typical 200-bed hotel, for example. Implementing an efficient multi-stream recycling system in a venue like this could see waste management costs reduced by 25%3.
This is because general (residual) waste is more expensive to dispose of than recyclable waste, so the more you can recycle, the more you can save.
Discover how much your business could save with our online Recycling Audit Tool. In just six questions, you can find out indicative cost and waste savings.
It’s also important to note that multi-stream recycling is now a legal requirement in England and Wales – we’ve got everything you need to know about that here.
Food for thought: the hidden cost of scraps
Every year, food waste costs the hospitality sector billions of pounds. And around 75% of that food waste could have been avoided4.
When it comes to food waste, the ideal scenario is to reduce the amount of food wasted to begin with. Work with your staff and get customer feedback to identify where food waste could be reduced. For example, 34% of the waste was a result of food being left by customers AKA ‘plate waste’. If this is a key driver in your venue, you could consider changes like reducing portion sizes or offering customers takeaway containers for the rest of their meal.
However, there is a limitation to how much you can control in your venue, and inevitably you will need to dispose of some food waste. As is now required by law in England and Wales, food waste should be separated for recycling, which not only means you’ll be following legislation but reducing disposal costs too. You can read more about the benefits of separating food waste here.
Faster, leaner cleaning
Alongside better waste management, more efficient cleaning is another underrated way of making your venue more productive – and as the old saying goes, time is money.
Wondering what difference a mop can make? The Vale Resort in Wales switched from traditional string mops and buckets to flat mopping and implemented more ergonomic housekeeping carts which led to 60% faster cleaning rates.
Their choice of mop - HYGEN™ Pulse™ - uses an in-built reservoir in the handle. That means it uses less water and cleaning fluid than a string mop, which is another way to bring down those bills.
More ergonomic, easier to move and with a higher capacity, the new carts meant the Vale Resort’s housekeeping team could be more productive, without risking discomfort or injury. Read the full story to find out more.
Next steps for your venue
Want to make moves towards better waste management, leaner cleaning, and lower costs? Take a look at our tips and advice for hospitality and foodservice businesses.
You can also get in touch with one of our experts to discuss how we can help you reduce your operational costs through improved waste management and cleaning.
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