Now that lockdown restrictions are being lifted, hotels in Westminster will be looking to resume operations and open their doors to the public. Due to recent events surrounding COVID-19, hotels will need to ensure their premises are kept clean and that their staff, visitors and guests remain safe while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Part of the process of resuming normal operations and guaranteeing cleanliness is through effective waste management. Hotels and other holiday accommodations can face unique and substantial challenges when it comes to managing waste and recycling. This is especially true since hotels generate significant volumes of different waste streams which require fast, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions to keep it out of sight from guests and visitors.
Keeping your hotel clean and safe: key steps to resuming operations
We know it is important for hotels to maintain a positive reputation and brand image as well as provide excellent customer experience. As such, Commercial Waste Services is well-equipped to help you maintain these standards. To help you get back on your feet and resume operations, the following are some key considerations to keep your hotel clean and safe.
Ensure your hotel is safe and clean
Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, new measures will have to be put in place to limit the risk of infection within hotels, including yourself, your employees, visitors and guests. Waste management is key to providing a safe and hygienic place to welcome back your guests and staff. As hotels are reopening and preparing to resume activities, you will need to ensure your premises gets the full attention it needs so it can be operable again.
We recently launched our new disinfection service which covers essential touchpoint disinfection and follows Public Health England guidelines. Download our COVID-19 disinfection service leaflet or visit the disinfection service page to find out more information and request a quote.
Consult government information resources
Please refer to the following Westminster City Council and government resources as well as HSE guidance for more on how to safely resume hotel operations and ensure your premises is well-prepared for visitors and guests:
- Hotels and other guest accommodation: working safely during coronavirus
- COVID-19 risk assessment
- Westminster City Council: Reopening Westminster’s hospitality sector
- 5 steps to working safely
Accommodate for proper bin storage
As lockdown restrictions are lifting, you will most likely be looking to make changes to the way your hotel is organised, including rearranging or removing redundant or obsolete furniture and equipment. This will enable you to create space for social distancing guidelines and allow for guests, visitors and workers to safely move within your premises.
Part of this reorganisation process might also include ensuring you have sufficient storage space for waste and recycling bins and single-stream recycling. Good waste management is key to successfully reopening your premises.
We understand that space is often restricted or comes at a premium in a big city such as Westminster, especially now more than ever as businesses are downsizing workspaces to ensure everything is kept clean and everyone remains safe. For this reason, you may think that segregating your waste into separate streams for recycling is not a viable option.
Fortunately, at Commercial Waste Services, we have all the equipment and services to help you. To assist with streamlining your internal waste management, we have stickers and posters to help communicate with staff, service providers, guests and visitors about where to place their waste and recycling.
We also have a wide range of bins to fit every need, including slimline 60-litre bins, which can be discreetly placed under counters (perfect for hospitality businesses). Additionally, we have heavy-duty, robust equipment available, such as compactors, which significantly reduce the volume of waste streams (i.e. cardboard and general waste).
We can tailor a solution to suit your site’s waste management needs with our range of wheeled bins and compactors. Download our full bin range guide.
Remember to use single-stream recycling
As you resume hotel operations, it is important to remember effective ways to handle and manage your waste and recycling. This includes segregating waste into single streams instead of throwing everything away as general waste or mixed recycling (which reduces the quality of materials). Single-stream recycling can not only help reduce waste management costs, but it is also the most effective way to make the most of your recycling.
While it is important to keep your workplace safe and clean, it is also critical to ensure you are running sustainable hotel operations. Some of the most common waste streams found in hotels include general waste, food waste (including animal by-products), glass, cardboard and bulky waste.
Improve your waste management with our ultimate guide to recycling.
According to the Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) and the Environment Bill, it will soon be a legal requirement to ensure your paper/card and glass recycling not be mixed with other waste materials.
As hotels often deal with a high volume of glass and food waste, having separate collections will help ensure more items can be recycled in closed-loop applications, for instance, old glass bottles recycled into new glass bottles and food waste which can be used to fertilise arable land to help grow more food.
It is easy to improve your hotel’s recycling rate and we can help. Start with one of our free waste audits to find out your potential. The waste audit will allow you to identify areas where you can improve and save money.
Related read: Food waste: what you need to know
Westminster City Council’s Movement Strategy
Westminster City Council has taken measures to help keep visitors, residents and workers safe on our streets. This includes providing new and additional space for cyclists and pedestrians in the heart of the capital.
This move will temporarily widen pavements, pedestrian areas and cycle lanes in some of the city’s most iconic locations. Our waste and recycling have not changed due to these measures; it is business as usual.
For more on street closure schedules as part of the Movement Strategy and presenting your waste for collection at the right time, read our comprehensive guide on resuming business operations.
How we can help
We have worked with a number of high-profile hotels, from helping Claridge’s Hotel to deliver superior services and environmental care to working with the Langham Hotel to achieve award-winning waste management.
Part of keeping your hotel clean is ensuring you are effectively disposing of your waste and recycling. At Commercial Waste Services, we provide a simple and efficient service so you do not need to worry, saving you money and space. Click on the button below to view our guide, ‘Your guide to commercial waste: hospitality’ for a list of what we collect, our various collection methods and how we can help you meet your duty of care.
