Hi Urban Nomads. Welcome to another issue of the nomad chronicles. In today’s post we will be talking about the impact of single use plastic toiletries typically found in hotels and measures done to mitigate the issue. This is a very interesting issue because for me personally, every time I check in hotels, I would keep a set of toiletries as a memento of my stay. Hence I wonder if my actions might have indirectly contributed to the negative environmental impacts.

Examples of single use plastic toiletries found in most hotels

Tiny bottles of toiletries are a staple part of the traditional hotel experience. Stepping into any luxury hotel, you would surprise to find a wide array of disposable toiletries at your disposal. Here, bottles of single use soaps, combs, toothbrushes often lie in the trash bin after use during the course of stay at the hotels.

Here, we will analyze the impact of disposal of the single use plastic products. As most of the plastic used in the process are not readily biodegradable, they can accumulate and stay on our planet for a long time (Tue et al., 2016). As they slowly degrade, there is a change to chemical structure of plastic. Photo‐oxidation is the common mode of degradation for plastics exposed outdoors and is due to two processes acting in concert, photoinitiation, and thermal oxidation (Tue et al., 2016). This break down can release microplastics in to the environment, which can enter our food chain and affect our health. In addition, the burning of plastics release a huge amount of toxic gases like dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (better known as BCPs) into the atmosphere (Tue et al., 2016). This poses a threat to any living organism should they be unfortunate to inhale it. Burning plastic also releases black carbon (soot), contributing to air pollution. Furthermore, these particulate matters can worsen choric conditions such as bronchitis.

The negative health impacts of plastic burning

However, all hopes are not lost! Following heavy criticism over single-use plastic, hotel giants such as Marriot, Hyatt and Hilton have announced that it would be discontinuing the use of singe use toiletries. Marriott estimates that the banning of these items will stop a whopping 500 million small single-use plastic bottles from being thrown  away each year (Dobrosielski,2019). This figure results in a saving of  1.7 million pounds of single-use plastic per annum (Dobrosielski,2019).

Marriott promotional video on their goal of plastic reduction

Hyatt has also introduced a scheme to eliminate single-use plastics from its hotels by 2021(Tue et al., 2016) . According to a Hyatt spokesperson, he mentions how there is need to “take conscious steps to be more environmentally mindful”. He adds how “Plastic pollution is a global issue, and we hope our efforts will motivate guests, customers and colleagues to think more critically about plastic consumption,” highlighting the need for education to change the behaviors of the guest.

Large bottle of soap dispensers which are reusable would be the new norm for Marriot hotel in the fight against single use plastic waste

Hyatt has mention how there would be a change to larger communal soaps dispensers in an effort to reduce such waste . Furthermore, Hilton has taken one step further. It is recycling all the use soap to remold into new soaps which are then redistributed to those who need it , such as ( poor or the needy). As such, the waste is not disposed, but rather is given a new life, mutually benefiting both the user and the environment  This highlights the importance of practicing corporate social responsibly to help create a more sustainable business model.

Video on Soap recycling as a method of sustainability described in the blog post

To conclude, single use plastic waste contributes to a whole host of environmental impacts such as air pollution. However, with a sustainable model, hotels can circumvent the issue by cutting down the plastic waste usage. It is really heartening to see how some hotels have stepped up in effort to combat environmental pollution from plastic waste. Perhaps the next time, when you visit a hotel, do think twice about opening the toiletries. As you open these “free” items for your convenient usage, the nature could be paying for your mistake. As for me, the next time I visit a hotel, I might have to settle on a postcard as memorabilia instead.

References

Marriott to ditch small plastic bottles for toiletries. (2019). Plastics News (Akron, Ohio), 30(23)

Dobrosielski, C. (2019). Marriott to eliminate single-use bathroom amenity bottles. Hotel Management (Online),

Hyatt highlights global efforts to reduce single-use plastics. (2018). Entertainment Close-Up,

Tue, N. M., Goto, A., Takahashi, S., Itai, T., Asante, K. A., Kunisue, T., & Tanabe, S. (2016). Release of chlorinated, brominated and mixed halogenated dioxin-related compounds to soils from open burning of e-waste in agbogbloshie (accra, ghana). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 302, 151-157. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.09.062