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16 Apr 2008: Recycling and all this environment business ...

Is it just me or are we all a little confused over recycling and the environment? Are peoples viewpoints publicised a little too quickly before theories are proven? I am in agreement we should make a conscious effort to reduce emmissions and we should recycle but are we getting caught up in all the hype without even knowing?

Let me explain. Plastic. Now whats that all about? Still no one has been able to tell me if having plastic dumped in landfill sites is actually worse than the toxins spewed into the atmosphere when plastic is heated to extreme temperatures to recycle it. Then I hear today that actually only plastic bottles are recycled anyway. So what about the food wrapings and all the other stuff I find my weekends taken up with. You know, sifting through all your wrappings and food cartons, getting them ready for the fortnightly recycling collection to then only find out that they will not collect plastic but you have to find a plastic recycling centre. But still we are not sure if any of that (other than bottles) gets recycled for our efforts and even then is it good for the environment to recycle plastic?

I guess these are things we are still learning, but are all the time being released studies and figures about what is right and wrong. But still they dont seem to have definitive answers, nor do we seem to have an efficient recylcing system for the UK.

So, what about hotels? Do people care about their carbon footprint when staying in a hotel? Using the towels, leaving lights on, having long luxurious baths and showers. Heating and airconditioning rooms. Waste from the mini bar. Tissues, toilet rolls, shampoo, soap etc etc. Isnt it our treat when we stay in a hotel to spoil ourselves. Have someone else clean our room daily. More energy spent vacuuming, using detergents, changing and washing sheets. Spewing tonnes of detergents into the water systems and into our seas. Calculate this by 100 rooms in your hotel and by 1000 hotels in London or another world city. Apparently the average London hotel room costs £10,000 a year in energy bills.

Who's responsibility is it? Should the hotel set up a more environmentally friendly infrastructure? How much will it cost hotels and who pays this bill? You will!

Let me know what you think? Email harrison@hotels-london.co.uk
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