Hauling waste creates a major expense for those in the hotel business. Therefore, recycling is key to reduce costs and maximize budgets. Although money must be spent to begin the process, the amount of money saved in the long run will truly be remarkable.

Here are some key strategies in making any hotel a successful "green" business:

• Train the staff to recognize what items can be recycled and institute policies that make it a simple and easy process. For example, specific training can include visually searching through waste in order to assess what types of trash can be sorted. To find out the recyclable status of any item found, contact the nearest recycling facility.
• Make sure current trash services also offer recycling benefits and renegotiate the hotel's terms. If no recycling is available through the current provider, enlist a new waste management service.
• Once items have been identified, categorize the most commonly-found recyclables. These can include paper products, plastic and waste from kitchens or restaurants. Now, pinpoint the items that are most prevalent in order to purchase the recycling receptacles that are necessary.
• Receptacles should be heavily dispersed throughout the property and at each garbage site. In addition, they should be distinguished by an eye-catching color that is consistent for each receptacle for easy recognition. Specific receptacle sites for compost and paper are extremely important due to the large quantities of food waste and print materials (newspapers) that hotels generate.

Once these simple steps have been followed, documentation should be made comparing the new monthly costs of waste disposal, including recycling, to the old method of waste management. Useful information to record is weights of recyclables, total trash weight generated, and costs of waste disposal.

Along with changing disposal tactics, another way to maintain a "green" status involves investing and purchasing green products, or environmentally-preferable products. There are plenty of providers to choose from, but the most important part of buying green products is selecting the right ones for each type of situation presented in the hotel.

Documentation of each product should be maintained. This will not only organize the purchase process, but will also inform the staff of products being bought and why they take priority over nonenvironmentally-friendly products in their daily routines.

Costs of green purchases might start off high, but the long-term benefits are sure to outweigh the generous prices. For example, green cleaners usually are pricier, but in the long run are needed in less quantity than regular cleaners. Secondly, when guests know a hotel is green, they are more apt to pay higher rates and give better reviews on reputation management sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp.

But hotel management staffs should know that even though these steps are relatively easy to follow, they do require discipline. Monthly evaluations should be performed in order to monitor and maintain "green" strategies. The staff should be informed of, as well as be greatly involved in, all decisions. Specific positions surrounding waste management should be implemented in the hotel so green experts can be present to regulate the program.

This way there is no way to fall off the path of becoming green in an industry that can benefit so greatly from these environmentally friendly changes.