Marble & Moss
Driving impact and legacy for independent luxury hotels
Welcome to Marble & Moss. We're here for independent luxury hotel operators who know that sustainability and profitability aren't mutually exclusive—they're interdependent.
No greenwashing. Just practical strategies that improve your bottom line while reducing your environmental impact. The kind of legacy-building work that you can be proud to pass down and keeps your property competitive for decades.
Waste Management:
Marble & Moss | Edition #5
Back to environmental sustainability.
Most properties think about waste management as a cost center—something you pay to make trash disappear. Trash service, dumpster rental, hauling fees. It's just part of doing business.
Here's what that mindset costs you: $15,000-$35,000 annually in unnecessary expenses.
Comprehensive waste management isn't about being environmentally virtuous. It's about recognizing that 60-75% of what you're paying to throw away has value—it can be recycled, composted, donated, or eliminated entirely.
This edition shows you how to capture that value.
What You're Actually Throwing Away
A typical 150-room independent luxury property generates:
Total waste: 200-300 tons annually
Guest room waste: 25-35%
Food waste (kitchens, F&B): 30-40%
Cardboard and packaging: 15-25%
Office/administrative waste: 5-10%
Landscaping and organic waste: 5-10%
Other (textiles, furniture, equipment): 5-10%
Current cost structure:
Trash hauling: $800-$2,500/month ($9,600-$30,000/year)
Dumpster rental: $200-$600/month ($2,400-$7,200/year)
Special waste disposal: $1,000-$3,000/year
Total annual waste cost: $13,000-$40,000
What's actually in there:
Recyclables (paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal): 40-50%
Organic waste (food scraps, landscaping): 25-35%
True trash (landfill-destined): 20-30%
Potentially recoverable (textiles, furniture, electronics): 5-10%
You're paying trash rates to haul away materials that could either generate revenue or cost significantly less through alternative streams.
The Four-Stream Approach
Effective waste management separates your waste into four streams, each with different economics:
Stream 1: Recyclables (40-50% of waste volume)
What this includes:
Cardboard and paper (bulk of this stream)
Plastic bottles and containers
Glass bottles
Aluminum and metal cans
Office paper
Current state: You're paying $80-$150/ton to landfill this material.
Better approach:
Recycling pickup: $20-$60/ton (or free in some markets)
Some materials generate revenue (aluminum, cardboard bales in some regions)
Savings: $4,000-$12,000 annually
Implementation:
Contract with recycling hauler (many offer free or low-cost service)
Install dedicated recycling bins in back-of-house areas
Train staff on contamination prevention (one pizza box ruins a cardboard bale)
Consider baler for cardboard if you generate significant volume (restaurants, receiving areas)
The contamination problem:
Recycling only works if materials are clean and sorted. One common mistake kills your program:
Food waste in recycling bins (contaminates entire load)
Non-recyclable plastics mixed with recyclables
Wet or soiled cardboard
Solution: Clear signage, staff training, and designated "recycling champions" in each department who ensure proper sorting.
Stream 2: Organic Waste / Compost (25-35% of waste volume)
What this includes:
Pre-consumer food waste (kitchen prep scraps)
Post-consumer food waste (plate waste)
Coffee grounds and filters
Landscaping waste (grass clippings, leaves, branches)
Paper products (some programs accept compostable paper)
Current state: You're paying $80-$150/ton to landfill highly compostable material that creates methane in landfills.
Better approach:
Commercial composting: $40-$80/ton
On-site composting (if you have space): near-zero cost after initial setup
Some municipalities offer free or subsidized organic waste programs
Savings: $3,000-$10,000 annually
Additional benefits:
Reduces trash volume by 25-35% (fewer pickups, smaller dumpsters)
Eliminates food waste odor issues
Finished compost can be used on property grounds (closes the loop)
Powerful guest-facing sustainability story
Implementation options:
Option A: Commercial composting service
Service picks up 2-3x per week
You provide food scrap bins in kitchen
They provide larger collection containers
Cost: $150-$400/month depending on volume
Best for: Most properties, especially urban locations
Option B: On-site composting
Requires dedicated outdoor space (50-200 sq ft)
Tumbler systems or windrow composting
Finished compost in 3-6 months
Labor: 2-4 hours/week for management
Initial investment: $2,000-$8,000 for system
Best for: Properties with grounds, landscaping needs, and available labor
Option C: Hybrid approach
On-site for landscaping waste
Commercial service for food waste
Best for: Properties with significant grounds but limited compost management capacity
The food waste hierarchy:
Before composting, consider reducing waste generation:
Source reduction: Better inventory management, portion control, menu planning
Food donation: Donate safe, unused food to local organizations (reduces waste, serves community)
Animal feed: Some farms accept food scraps (very location-dependent)
Composting: For waste that can't be prevented
Landfill: Last resort
Food waste reduction deserves its own deep dive—most hotel kitchens waste 4-10% of food purchased. That's $15,000-$50,000 in annual food costs going straight to the dumpster.
Stream 3: Recoverable Materials (5-10% of waste)
What this includes:
Textiles (linens, towels, curtains, uniforms)
Furniture (guest room furniture, lobby pieces, office furniture)
Electronics (TVs, computers, phones, equipment)
Mattresses
Fixtures and equipment
Current state: You're paying disposal fees or landfill costs when these items reach end-of-life.
Better approach:
Donation programs (tax deductible + social impact)
Resale or consignment for higher-value items
Electronic waste recycling (often free, sometimes pays)
Textile recycling programs
Savings + revenue: $2,000-$8,000 annually
Implementation:
Textile recycling:
Partner with textile recyclers (they provide collection bins)
Torn or stained linens that can't be donated are shredded and repurposed
Some programs pay per pound for bulk textiles
Alternative: Donate to animal shelters (they always need towels and linens)
Furniture and equipment:
Donate to: Habitat for Humanity ReStores, local charities, community organizations
Resale: High-quality pieces can be sold through consignment or online marketplaces
Document donations for tax deduction (typically 20-40% of fair market value)
Electronics:
E-waste recycling programs (Best Buy, manufacturers, specialized recyclers)
Data security: Ensure all devices are properly wiped before disposal
Some programs pay for working electronics
Never landfill electronics (heavy metals, environmental hazard)
Mattresses:
Specialized mattress recycling (90% of mattress materials are recyclable)
Cost: $10-$30 per mattress (vs. $25-$50 landfill disposal)
Some regions have free mattress recycling programs
Stream 4: True Trash (20-30% after diversion)
What remains:
Contaminated materials
Mixed waste that can't be sorted
Non-recyclable plastics
Certain guest room waste
Hazardous materials (requires special handling)
Current state: Everything goes here, so you're paying for maximum trash service.
After three-stream diversion: This shrinks to 20-30% of original volume.
Result:
Smaller dumpsters needed
Less frequent pickups
Significant cost reduction
Renegotiate hauling contract:
Once you've implemented recycling and composting, your trash volume should drop 60-75%. This is your opportunity to:
Reduce dumpster size (saves monthly rental fees)
Reduce pickup frequency (saves hauling fees)
Renegotiate pricing based on actual volume
Additional savings: $3,000-$8,000 annually
The Real ROI
Let's consolidate for a 150-room property:
Current state:
Annual waste hauling: $13,000-$40,000
100% to landfill (200-300 tons)
After comprehensive waste management:
Recycling program: saves $4,000-$12,000
Composting program: saves $3,000-$10,000
Recoverable materials: saves/generates $2,000-$8,000
Reduced trash hauling: saves $3,000-$8,000
Total annual savings: $12,000-$38,000
Investment required:
Recycling bins and signage: $1,500-$3,000
Compost collection containers: $500-$2,000
Staff training: $1,000-$2,000
On-site compost system (optional): $2,000-$8,000
Total investment: $3,000-$15,000
Payback: 3-12 months
Beyond the immediate ROI:
Reduced environmental impact (150-225 tons diverted from landfill annually)
Improved staff engagement (people like working for responsible companies)
Guest-facing sustainability story that's visible and credible
Regulatory compliance (many jurisdictions now mandate commercial composting/recycling)
Guest-Facing vs. Back-of-House
A critical distinction: where waste is generated vs. where it's sorted.
Guest rooms and public spaces:
You cannot compromise guest experience with complicated sorting requirements. Guests don't want to navigate three-bin systems in their rooms.
Best practice:
Single waste bin in guest rooms (simplicity for guests)
Sort at collection point (housekeeping sorts as they service rooms)
Recycling bins in public spaces (lobbies, meeting areas) where guests expect them
Clear signage showing what goes where
Staff empowered to sort items if guests mis-sort
Back-of-house areas:
This is where the majority of diversion happens:
Kitchens: Separate bins for organics, recyclables, trash
Receiving areas: Immediate cardboard separation and baling
Housekeeping: Textile recycling bins, guest room waste sorting
Maintenance: Metal, electronics, equipment recovery
Offices: Paper and cardboard recycling
Staff training is critical:
Without buy-in from housekeeping, kitchen staff, and maintenance, programs fail. They need to understand:
Why you're doing this (environmental and financial benefits)
What goes where (clear, simple guidelines)
How it affects their workflow (usually minimal after initial adjustment)
What happens to materials (the full circle story)
Successful properties designate "waste champions" in each department—someone who ensures bins are properly used and trains new hires.
Implementation Roadmap
Phase 1: Waste Audit (Week 1-2)
You can't improve what you don't measure.
Conduct a one-week waste audit:
Separate one day's worth of trash by category (recyclables, organics, true trash)
Weigh each category
Calculate percentages
Multiply by 365 for annual estimates
This shows you:
Where your diversion opportunities are biggest
What your baseline costs are
What your potential savings look like
DIY approach: Have your engineering or sustainability team do this with kitchen/housekeeping help.
Professional approach: Hire waste audit consultant ($1,500-$3,500 for comprehensive audit). They provide detailed analysis and recommendations.
Phase 2: Vendor Research (Week 3-4)
Find your partners:
Recycling haulers:
Get quotes from 3+ providers
Ask about contamination policies (what happens if loads are contaminated?)
Verify they actually recycle (some "recycling" companies landfill when commodity prices drop)
Check for educational resources and support
Composting services:
Commercial composters in your area
Municipal programs (often subsidized or free)
On-site composting equipment vendors if going that route
Verify end-use of compost (some programs send to farms, some create bagged compost for sale)
Donation partners:
Local charities for furniture, textiles, equipment
Food banks for unused food (check Safe Food Handling requirements)
Schools and community centers for materials
Animal shelters for textiles
Phase 3: Infrastructure Setup (Week 5-8)
Procure and install:
Recycling bins (color-coded, clearly labeled) for all back-of-house areas
Compost collection containers for kitchens
Signage (pictures work better than words—show what goes where)
Larger dumpsters/containers for recycling and compost if needed
Design for workflow:
Place bins where waste is generated (don't make staff walk across kitchen)
Ensure bins are appropriately sized (too small = overflow, too large = inefficient)
Consider aesthetics in semi-public areas (staff areas, loading docks visible to guests)
Initial investment: Most vendors provide bins/containers as part of service contracts. You'll mainly pay for internal sorting bins and signage.
Phase 4: Staff Training (Week 9-10)
Comprehensive training for all staff:
Why you're doing this (financial and environmental reasons)
What the new system looks like
Specific instructions by role (kitchen staff vs. housekeeping vs. maintenance)
Who to ask if they have questions
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Training methods:
Department meetings (20-30 minutes)
Visual guides posted at sorting stations
Hands-on practice with sample waste items
Waste champions available for questions
Ongoing reinforcement:
Monthly waste diversion metrics shared with staff
Recognition for departments with highest diversion rates
Refresher training during staff meetings
New hire training includes waste sorting
Phase 5: Launch & Monitor (Week 11+)
Soft launch:
Start with one or two departments (kitchen is usually best starting point)
Monitor closely for first 2-4 weeks
Adjust based on what works and what doesn't
Expand to other departments once refined
Track metrics monthly:
Tons diverted from landfill (by stream: recycling, compost, donations)
Trash volume reduction (tons or percentage)
Cost savings (compare waste bills to baseline)
Contamination rates (recycling/compost loads rejected due to contamination)
Adjust as needed:
If contamination is high, additional training needed
If participation is low, investigate barriers (bin placement? confusion about sorting?)
If certain materials aren't being diverted, revisit collection process
Phase 6: Optimization & Renegotiation (Month 6)
After 6 months of data:
Calculate actual diversion rate
Document cost savings
Renegotiate trash hauling contract (smaller dumpsters, less frequent pickup)
Consider additional waste streams (are there materials you're still landfilling that could be diverted?)
Continuous improvement:
Quarterly waste audits to verify diversion rates
Annual review of vendor contracts and pricing
Stay informed about new recycling/composting technologies and programs
Benchmark against industry leaders (some properties achieve 80-90% diversion)
Common Mistakes That Kill Programs
Mistake #1: No staff buy-in
Programs designed in a conference room without input from people who actually handle waste fail. Kitchen staff know where food waste is generated. Housekeeping knows what's in guest room trash. Involve them from the beginning.
Mistake #2: Complicated sorting systems
Systems with 6-8 categories overwhelm staff and create high contamination rates. Keep it simple: recyclables, organics, trash. Add additional streams only after mastering the basics.
Mistake #3: Inadequate signage
"Recycling" on a bin means nothing if people don't know what's recyclable. Use pictures, use examples, use multiple languages. Show correct items and explicitly show incorrect items.
Mistake #4: Forgetting about contamination
One food-contaminated recycling load gets rejected and sent to landfill. One non-compostable item (plastic bag, utensils) in compost load creates problems. Train staff on contamination prevention from day one.
Mistake #5: No ongoing monitoring
Programs drift over time without monitoring. New staff aren't trained properly. Bins get misused. Vendors change policies. Monthly review catches problems before they become systemic.
Mistake #6: Announcing success prematurely
Don't launch a PR campaign about your waste diversion program until you've run it successfully for 6+ months. Nothing undermines credibility faster than abandoned recycling bins or contaminated compost.
The Single-Use Plastic Challenge
A specific waste stream deserves attention: single-use plastics.
Common hotel single-use plastics:
Guest amenities (mini shampoo bottles, soap wrappers)
Water bottles (in-room, meetings, events)
Coffee pods and stirrers
Straws, utensils, takeout containers (F&B)
Dry cleaning bags
Laundry bags
Plastic key cards
Why this matters:
Plastics represent 10-15% of hotel waste
Very low recycling rates (most plastic types aren't actually recyclable)
High guest visibility (everyone sees miniature toiletries)
Regulatory pressure (many jurisdictions banning single-use plastics)
Alternatives:
Amenities:
Bulk dispensers (wall-mounted shampoo, conditioner, body wash)
Refillable glass bottles (higher-end aesthetic)
Bar soap in paper packaging instead of individual wrapped soaps
Savings: $2-$5 per room per stay (amenities) + waste reduction
Water:
In-room filtered water carafes (eliminate plastic bottles)
Water stations in public areas
Reusable branded water bottles as welcome amenities
Savings: $1-$3 per occupied room + 50,000-100,000 plastic bottles annually
F&B:
Real flatware and dishes for all dining
Reusable to-go containers for staff meals
Paper straws or no straws (straws upon request only)
Compostable takeout containers if disposables needed
Key cards:
Wood or metal key cards (renewable, premium feel)
Digital keys where available (eliminates cards entirely)
Recycled plastic key cards (if plastic is unavoidable)
Guest response:
Luxury travelers increasingly expect plastic reduction. Done well, this enhances brand perception. Done poorly (cheap alternatives, inconvenience), it creates complaints.
The key: Replacements must be equal or better quality. Bulk amenities in beautiful dispensers work. Bulk amenities in hospital-style pumps don't.
Beyond Waste: Circular Economy Thinking
The ultimate goal isn't just better waste management—it's waste elimination through circular systems.
Procurement decisions:
Every purchasing decision determines future waste:
Buy products with minimal packaging
Choose items made from recycled content
Select durable goods that last longer (fewer replacements = less waste)
Prefer products designed for disassembly and recycling
Partner with vendors who take back products at end-of-life
Examples:
Linens and textiles:
Buy high-quality that last 3-5 years instead of cheap that fail in 1-2 years
Partner with linen suppliers who recycle damaged linens
Choose organic or sustainably-sourced when possible
Furniture:
Specify furniture that can be reupholstered (not replaced) when fabric wears
Choose modular designs that can be reconfigured
Avoid composite materials that can't be recycled
Food & beverage:
Source from vendors using reusable transport packaging
Choose products in recyclable or compostable packaging
Eliminate individual portion packaging where possible
This thinking prevents waste before it's generated—the most effective waste management strategy.
Your Next Steps
This week:
Pull 12 months of waste hauling invoices
Calculate total annual waste costs
Identify current dumpster sizes and pickup frequencies
Walk your property and identify where waste is generated
Next week:
Conduct quick visual assessment: what's in your dumpsters?
Research recycling and composting services in your area
Get 2-3 quotes for recycling/composting programs
Calculate potential savings based on volume reduction
Month 2:
Select vendors for recycling and composting
Procure internal bins and signage
Begin staff training by department
Launch pilot program in kitchen or housekeeping
Month 3-6:
Expand program property-wide
Monitor metrics monthly
Adjust based on contamination and participation rates
After 6 months, renegotiate trash hauling contract
This isn't glamorous work. It's trash, compost, and recycling bins.
But for most properties, it's $12,000-$38,000 in annual savings with 3-12 month payback. Plus 150-225 tons diverted from landfills annually.
More importantly, it builds operational discipline and environmental awareness that compound across all sustainability initiatives.
Start now.
What waste programs have you tried?
What worked? What was harder than expected?
What's your biggest barrier to waste diversion?
Reply to this email.
What other topics would be most valuable? What’s on your mind?
Your experiences, pain points, and questions shape what we cover next.
Coming Up
In the next issue: Local Sourcing
Coming up, we’ll cover how to build a supply chain that strengthens your community, differentiates your property, and often costs less than you think. We'll cover the business case for local procurement, how to find reliable local suppliers, and the marketing value of authentic community connections.
Worth sharing?
Feel free to forward this to another operator who's thinking about waste management.
Until next time,
Driving impact and legacy for independent luxury hotels
