Eliminate & Rethink – Closing the Loop on Waste
The hospitality industry opens doors to new places, people, and perspectives. But to truly care for the destinations we promote, we also need to consider the footprint we can leave behind.
With high guest turnover and a focus on convenience and hygiene, hotels often rely on single-use items that contribute significantly to waste. A typical 200-room hotel may go through hundreds of thousands of single-use plastic items each month, contributing approximately 289,700 tonnes of plastic waste each year.
The good news? Research shows that up to 95% of this waste is avoidable, signalling an opportunity for change and innovation across the sector.
At Lamington Group’s room2 hometels, we’re taking our zero-waste-to-landfill commitment to the next level. We’re redesigning our approach to create a circular ecosystem, where waste can be repurposed into new materials and reused over and over again.
First, We Eliminate
Historically, hotels relied on disposable items, especially during check-in and check-out. At room2, by encouraging our teams to think creatively, we’ve been able to make a series of small but meaningful changes. Instead of paper room key holders, we use removable stickers. Receipts are issued digitally, and we rely on digital tools for room and area guides.
We’ve also removed single-use toiletries and amenities, offering extras only on request to reduce waste without compromising guest comfort. And in-room, guests receive a refillable milk bottle and a reusable market bag to use throughout their stay. These seemingly small changes help divert hundreds of pounds of waste from landfills each year.
Second, We Rethink Materials
As part of our sustainable design principles, we prioritise materials that are recycled, renewable, and circular by nature – sourcing items with a past life and a future purpose.
Across our room2 properties, you’ll find carpets made from discarded fishing nets, lampshades crafted from mycelium and orange peel, and vintage furniture brought back to life. Even the welcome desk at room2 Belfast is made from recycled shampoo bottles collected from other room2 sites.
This year, we’ve taken our circular approach even further. In partnership with London-based Batch.Works, and led by our Circular Design Manager, we’ve launched a new initiative to transform waste into itemsfor our hometels. We are combining used coffee grounds with bio-PLA and 3D printing them into products such as lampshades, amenity boxes, room numbers, and hangers. These early prototypes mark just the beginning; we plan to scale the rollout of these circular products in future room2 openings.
Plastic Free, All Year Long
Plastic Free July is a timely reminder to rethink the default use of single-use plastics. Through collaboration across teams and a design-led approach to sustainability, we’ve eliminated nearly all single-use plastic from our operations. Plastic Free July is just the beginning. The real opportunity lies in designing spaces, systems, and experiences that work in harmony with the planet, every month of the year.
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