3R Guidebook for Hotels

Picture by Courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board

 3R Guidebook for Hotels
Published on 1 July 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Solid Waste Situation in Singapore

Strategies for Sustainable Solid Waste Management
3R Programme for Hotels
Purpose of Guidebook

CHAPTER 2: BENEFITS OF REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING SOLID

WASTE

What are the 3Rs?

Benefits to Hotels
Benefits to the Environment
Benefits to Singapore

CHAPTER 3: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO A 3R PROGRAMME

Step 1 – Obtain Top Management‟s Commitment and Support

Step 2 – Appoint a 3R Manager and Form a Green Committee / 3R Team
Step 3 – Conduct a Waste Audit
Step 4 – Evaluate Opportunities to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Step 5 – Develop a 3R Programme
Step 6 – Implement and Improve the 3R Programme

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CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES

Case Study by Fairmont Singapore

Case Study by Grand Hyatt Singapore

Case Study by Hotel Grand Pacific

Case Study by InterContinental Singapore

Case Study by The Regent Singapore

Case Study by Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

REFERENCES

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The 3R Guidebook for Hotels is a joint initiative of the National Environment Agency
(NEA) and Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) to provide hotels with step-by-step and
practical guidelines on planning and implementing 3R programme. The NEA and SHA
would like to thank the following persons for their invaluable contributions and support in
producing this 3R Guidebook for Hotels:

i) Mr Steven Chan, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport

ii) Mr Albert Lai, Deputy General Manager, Hotel Grand Pacific

iii) Mr Martin Sinclair, General Manager, The Regent Singapore

iv) Mr Thomas Schmidt-Glaeser, Hotel Manager, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

v) Ms Celestine Ang, Manager, Singapore Tourism Board

The NEA and SHA would also like to thank the following hotels for contribution of case
studies for this Guidebook:

i) Fairmont Singapore

ii) Grand Hyatt Singapore

iii) Hotel Grand Pacific

iv) InterContinental Hotel Singapore

v) The Regent Singapore

vi) Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

We would also like to thank all others who had provided feedback and suggestions. We
look forward to receiving more feedback and suggestions, which would help us to
improve this guidebook further.

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About Singapore Hotel Association (SHA)
The SHA is the umbrella body for hotels in Singapore. It was registered in 1961 with the
Registry of Society and a full-time secretariat was established in 1979.

The SHA membership is made up of hotel entities and represented by proprietors of

hotels or its appointed representatives. Its current membership comprises 113 hotels
which accounts for more than 90% of total gazetted room count.

SHA has two subsidiaries, Hotel Reservations Pte Ltd and Shatec Institutes (its training
arm). Each subsidiary is managed independently.

Address 17 Cantonment Road

Singapore 089740
Tel +65 6513 0233
Fax +65 6438 7170
Email secretariat@sha.org.sg

About National Environment Agency (NEA)

Formed on 1 July 2002, the NEA is the leading public organisation responsible for
improving and sustaining a clean and green environment in Singapore. The NEA
develops and spearheads environmental initiatives and programmes through its
partnership with the People, Public and Private sectors. It is committed to motivating
every individual to take up environmental ownership and to care for the environment as
a way of life.

By protecting Singapore's environment from pollution, maintaining a high level of public

health and providing timely meteorological information, the NEA endeavours to ensure
sustainable development and a quality living environment for present and future
generations.

For enquiries, you may wish to

 email to Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg or
 contact our NEA Call Centre Hotline : 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632)

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 3R Guidebook for Hotels

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Solid Waste Situation in Singapore

Disposal of solid waste in Singapore has increased six-fold over the past forty years
with the increasing population and economic growth, and affluence and changing
lifestyles. Since 1979, the government has spent billions of dollars on building
incineration plants and sanitary landfills for the disposal of waste.

The incineration plants are designed to incinerate waste safely and are fitted with air
pollution control equipment. The plants effectively reduce the volume of waste, by
about 90%, and also recover energy from heat as well as scrap ferrous metals for
recycling. Even then, the ash from the incineration of waste still has to be landfilled.

The last landfill on the main island of Singapore was filled up by 1999. The current
landfill is offshore, at Pulau Semakau, and this was specially developed for final
waste disposal. If solid waste continues to grow unabated, there would be a need to
build more incineration plants and landfill, a big challenge for land scarce Singapore.

Strategies for Sustainable Solid Waste Management

Being a small city-state, we have to make prudent use of land, to ensure continued
economic growth. We would not want to have to continue to build waste disposal
facilities to meet increasing amounts of waste and deprive land for other uses, such
as industries, housing, water catchments, and transportation, which are important for
Singapore‟s economic progress. Furthermore, building and operating disposal
facilities are very costly and could lead to higher waste disposal fees.

Recognising the need to reduce waste disposal, the then Ministry of the Environment
had been promoting waste minimisation since 1991. To step up efforts, the National
Environment Agency (NEA), a statutory board formed in 2002, has adopted waste
management strategies based on the 3Rs, that is, Reduce waste at source (or waste
avoidance), Reuse waste, and Recycle waste.

Such an approach would help to defer the construction of new disposal facilities,
reduce the demand for land to build disposal facilities, and avoid unnecessary
increases in waste disposal fees. In addition, reducing, reusing and recycling solid
waste would help conserve natural resources and reduce carbon footprint, which
would in turn mitigate climate change.

An Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) that was set up

in January 2008 to develop key strategies for Singapore‟s sustainable development,
had drawn up a Blueprint with recommendations for a sustainable Singapore.
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 Among the goals identified in the Blueprint are targets for Singapore to improve the
overall waste recycling rate to 65% in 2020 and 70% in 2030.

To attain these targets and achieve a long-term goal of “towards zero landfill”, the
NEA has been, and will continue to engage and work in partnership with various
organisations in the people, private and public sectors to educate, plan and
implement waste minimisation and recycling programmes. The Singapore Hotel
Association (SHA) and its member hotels are among the NEA‟s valued partners in
working towards this end.

3R Programme for Hotels

Launched on 1 July 2011, the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Programme for Hotels is
a new initiative whereby participating hotels voluntarily commit to work with the SHA
and the NEA to reduce solid waste in the Singapore hotel industry.

The objectives of the 3R Programme for Hotels are to:

1) Reduce waste disposed of by the hotel sector through the setting up and
implementation of structured waste minimisation and recycling
programmes in participating hotels;
2) Equip the hotel industry with the relevant knowledge and training to carry
out the 3R Programme effectively; and
3) Foster expertise and knowledge sharing within the hotel industry so that
hotels can shorten the learning curve in improving their 3R efforts.

Voluntary Commitments by Participating Hotels

When a hotel joins the 3R Programme for Hotels, it will need to perform the following
tasks:

1) Form a Green Committee or 3R Team to oversee and monitor the 3R

Programme
2) Conduct waste audits to determine current waste quantity and composition,
identify areas where waste can be reduced and monitor waste output
overtime
3) Set internal waste reduction and recycling goals.
4) Review existing practices and work with hotel staff and suppliers to
reduce/reuse waste at source.
5) Set up recyclables collection and segregation systems to complement
hotel work procedures.
6) Work on ways to involve hotel guests in minimizing and recycling waste.
7) Collect data from the waste collectors and submit them to the task force on
a six-month basis.
8) Share experiences and hotel‟s best practices with other hotels.

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Purpose of this Guidebook

This guidebook has been developed to provide hotels participating in the 3R

Programme for Hotels, with practical information and guidelines on how to approach,
plan, and implement the programme.

The case studies included in this guidebook will share some sustainable practices
adopted by some hotels in Singapore, including 3R practices.

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CHAPTER 2: BENEFITS OF REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING SOLID
WASTE

What are the 3Rs?

The 3Rs stand for:

 Reducing waste – cutting or preventing waste at its source;

 Reusing waste – using an item or material more than once; and

 Recycling waste – processing a discarded material into a new product or

resource.

In the broadest sense, 3R practices encompass all measures or techniques that

minimise the amount of solid waste materials that will need to be disposed of.

In accordance with the waste management hierarchy (an internationally accepted

guide for prioritizing waste management practices), the most preferred waste
management practice is to reduce waste at source, that is, to prevent waste from
being generated. Only where waste cannot be prevented, should options be
explored to reuse the waste, followed by recycling of waste which cannot be reused.

Benefits to Hotels

Practising the 3Rs can yield positive outcomes for hotels. Minimising waste can
provide competitive advantages to a hotel in a few ways:

Improved Resource Efficiency & Cost Savings

All the resources (such as raw materials for F&B, consumables, energy, water,
manpower and time) that a hotel puts into their business process will result in either
products and services which can generate revenue, or waste which costs money to
treat or dispose of. A representation of a resource throughput is shown below.

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 Services and
 Raw materials & Revenue
consumables Business Products
 Energy & water Process
 Manpower & time  Solid / liquid waste
 Wasted energy
 Wasted manpower & time
Cost
Cost

Practising waste minimisation in any area of a business process can help reduce
business costs. This can be done through improving resource use efficiency
andreduction of wastages, thereby cutting down waste handling and disposal costs.
Examples of how some hotels have saved costs by reducing waste, are shown in
Chapter 4 of this Guidebook.

Enhanced Corporate Image & International Reputation

Public awareness on environmental issues is growing around the world, and the
environmental profile of a hotel is an increasingly important part of its overall
reputation.

A hotel which incorporates environmental considerations into its business operations

would have a better corporate image and international reputation. It would set itself
apart in the marketplace as a forward-looking and responsible service provider.

Benefits to Singapore

Singapore disposed of close to 2.8 million tonnes of solid waste in 2010. Collecting,
processing and disposing the waste in land-scarce Singapore are expensive and
resource-intensive activities. At the current refuse disposal fee of $77 per tonne, this
represents a $200 million value per year in expense. A 10% reduction in waste
disposal would result in savings of $2 million or more each year. In turn, the
reduction in waste would help reduce the demand for new waste disposal facilities
and the associated expenditure.

Just as important, the 3Rs help us conserve finite natural resources, extend the
lifespan of the landfill, and move a step closer to sustainable waste management and
towards zero landfill.

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CHAPTER 3: A Step-by-Step Guide to a 3R Programme

Your hotel may already have a 3R programme in place. If so, you may use this
Guidebook as a point of reference and go to the sections appropriate to your needs.

If your hotel is starting from scratch, this Guidebook would help you move along step
by step in developing and implementing a 3R programme for your hotel.

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Obtain Top Management‟s Commitment and Support

Step 2: Appoint a 3R Manager and Form a Green Committee / 3R Team
Step 3: Conduct a Waste Audit
Step 4: Evaluate Opportunities to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Step 5: Develop a 3R Programme
Step 6: Implement and Improve the 3R Programme

Step 1: Obtain Top Management’s Commitment and Support

The support of top management is an essential pre-requisite for the success of any
3R Programme, as 3R initiatives would require an initial investment in time and
possibly finances; the new programme could also lead to changes in responsibilities
for some hotel staff or changes in procedures.

If you are the decision-maker of the hotel and would like to achieve the same benefits
that other hotels have reaped through practising the 3Rs, the first step is to give a
clear and strong signal of management‟s commitment to and support of any 3R
efforts.

If you are a staff from any of departments (e.g. Engineering, Housekeeping, etc.),
and believe that there is scope to reduce waste in your hotel, then take the first step
to propose a 3R programme to your hotel management. You will need to collect data
on the amount of waste generated by your hotel, the estimated cost on wasted raw
materials / consumables, the cost of waste disposal, and the estimate the potential
savings today and in the future. You should also find the most effective channel to
present your idea and proposal so that the management has a chance to study and
consider your idea and proposal.

General Manager

To demonstrate commitment to the 3Rs at the highest level in the hotel, the
suggested role and actions to be undertaken by the General Manager are shown
below.

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General Manager’s Role

 Inform hotel staff on the decision to implement a 3R programme, and circulate or

make known to all staff a policy statement on the 3Rs;

 Appoint a 3R Manager to take charge of the 3R programme and form a Green

Committee or 3R Team to assist and support the 3R Manager in developing and
implementing a 3R programme for the hotel;

 Establish an auditing and accounting system that reflects monthly waste

management amounts and costs, as well as savings arising from waste avoided;

 Establish a budget for the hotel‟s 3R programme as funds may be needed, for
example, to purchase recycling bins or new equipment / products that would help
reduce waste at source;

 Support management and hotel staff in establishing the hotel‟s 3R programme goals
and targets;

 Meet with the 3R Manager and Green Committee or 3R Team regularly to monitor
the 3R programme‟s progress;

 Keep hotel staff informed of the progress in meeting 3R programme goals and
targets;

 Incorporate 3R procedures in hotel staff position descriptions, and include coverage

on the hotel‟s 3R programme practices in new employee orientation programmes,
staff training programmes and staff meetings;

 Give recognition, as appropriate, to the hotel staff involved in the 3Rs; and

 Lead by example: show interest and participate in 3R activities.

3R Policy Statement

The 3R policy statement, which conveys objectives of the 3R Programme to

employees, may include these main points:

 Reducing waste at source to eliminate waste is one of the main goals in different
operations of the hotel.

 Reusing and recycling as much waste materials as possible before disposing

them as waste.

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 In the policy statement, you may also want to list certain motivations for practising the
3Rs, for example, service quality improvement, cost reduction, and being an
environmentally-responsible corporate citizen. Your 3R policy statement can be part
of your hotel‟s overall Environmental Policy.

The following is an example of a policy statement. You may use it as reference, or

amend the language to suit your hotel.

Example of Policy Statement

1. [Your hotel‟s name]'s policy is to reduce all waste to the minimum levels that are
economically and technically feasible;

As both a responsible citizen and [hotel‟s name] employee, each individual is responsible
for reducing waste, and for complying fully with all 3R programme goals established by
the hotel;

Employees are urged to come forth with suggestions for further reducing waste in their
own work areas, and in any other areas which they may have ideas.

2. [Your hotel‟s name] is committed to excellence and leadership in protecting the

environment. In keeping with this policy, our objective is to reduce waste. We strive to
minimize adverse impact on the environment, through excellence in waste reduction. By
successfully reducing waste at its source, we can achieve cost savings, increase
operational efficiencies, improve the quality of our services, and maintain a safe and
healthy workplace for our employees. [Your hotel‟s name] promotes environmentally-
sound measures to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste.

Signature ____________________________ Date ____________________

Position in Hotel ________________________

Once management signs and dates the policy statement, display it prominently and
distribute it widely.

How a hotel first distributes the written policy to employees indicates its commitment.
Posting it unexpectedly at a notice board could send a negative message. We
suggest that you call a special meeting to explain and distribute copies of your hotel‟s
policy, and ask employees for their ideas. This will help to send a positive signal to
employees and get them involved and treat the matter seriously.

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Step 2: Appoint a 3R Manager and Form a Green Committee / 3R Team

Following the hotel‟s policy decision to embark on a 3R Programme, a competent 3R

Manager needs to be identified and appointed by the General Manager. The 3R
Manager should be an individual with a passion for protecting the environment and
who possesses strong leadership and communication skills. He or she should also
be someone who is knowledgeable about the hotel‟s operations, as well as its
purchasing and waste management procedures.

The hotel will also need to form a Green Committee or 3R Team to assist and
support the 3R Manager in developing and implementing a 3R programme for the
hotel, and select suitable members for this committee or team. The size of the
committee or team can vary depending on the size of the hotel. Preferably, the
members should be well represented in terms of experience, knowledge, and
perception of the issues, and from different departments such as:

- Management
- Engineering / maintenance
- House keeping
- Kitchens / food & beverage (F&B) outlets
- Purchasing
- Administration

The suggested role of the Green Committee or 3R Team is shown below.

Role of Green Committee / 3R Team

 Plan, develop and implement a 3R programme specific for the hotel, including:
o Setting of the hotel‟s 3R programme goals and targets
o Establishing 3R procedures to complement operational practices of the hotel
o Organising programmes to train hotel staff in the 3Rs
o Organising activities to raise overall awareness on the 3Rs
o Engaging partners and guests in 3R initiatives

 Work out and propose a budget for the hotel‟s 3R programme

 Conduct waste audits to:

o Determine baseline waste quantity and composition
o Identify areas where waste can be reduced
o Monitor waste output over time

 Monitor compliance with the established 3R procedures

 Generate reports on progress in meeting the hotel‟s 3R programme goals and

targets

 Evaluate effectiveness of the hotel‟s 3R programme and work with the Green
Committee or 3R Team to improve it.
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 The Green Committee or 3R Team will need to meet regularly to discuss how the
various departments are progressing in implementing 3R initiatives, as well as to
brainstorm for new ways to cut waste.

It may be helpful for the team to involve the vendors / suppliers in discussions, as
they would be familiar with the products or packaging that they are supplying; they
may also have experiences with their other hotel customers on similar projects, thus
they can share useful information and good 3R practices. It would be even better if
you are able to involve your hotel guests in generating ideas or gather feedback to
develop your 3R initiatives, by conducting appropriate customer surveys.

Step 3: Conduct a Waste Audit

What is a Waste Audit

A waste audit is a simple but structured process of identifying and quantifying the
amount and types of waste being generated by the hotel.

The objective of a waste audit is to profile the waste streams by finding out
information on:

 types of waste,

 quantity of each waste stream,

 how they are generated,

 why they are generated,

 where they are being generated, and

 how they are managed after being generated.

Doing this alone will not reduce waste, but it will help to identify areas of wastage,
and uncover opportunities to reduce, reuse or recycle waste materials. It will also
help collect baseline data for measuring the effectiveness of the 3R programme, after
its implementation.

How to Conduct a Waste Audit

Different types of solid waste are generated in different parts of a hotel. Walk
through the hotel to identify and record the different waste-generating activities and
equipment in the hotel, the types of waste produced and take stock of any waste
reduction efforts which are already in place.

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 The walk-through entails observing existing procedures and practices, examining the
contents of refuse bins, talking to relevant operational staff, and documentation of
findings.

Be sure to pay close attention to areas and operations that tend to generate the
largest amounts of waste. In general, wastes are usually generated in large
quantities in these areas in a hotel:

 Kitchens, F&B outlets and function rooms (mainly food and packaging waste);
 Guest rooms, and various hotel facilities for guests, such as the gym, swimming
pool, etc. (mainly consumables and packaging waste generated by hotel guests);
 Offices, including business centres (paper and print cartridge waste, etc.); and
 Shipping and receiving departments.

Auditing waste in each area separately, can help one to better identify opportunities
to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste.

You may follow the steps below to conduct a waste audit in the various operational
areas:

(a) Create a audit checklist

Walk through the different operational areas in your hotel on different days and
survey the refuse bins on what kind of waste are generated and discarded in these
bins. You should also get hold of purchasing records of raw materials, consumables
and any other supplies, to see what wastes would possibly be generated throughout
the year.

Create a checklist for all waste streams generated from each area. A sample audit
checklist is shown below.

TABLE 1 – Audit Checklist

Point of How is it Disposal Cost of Recycled Cost of

Types of waste
origin managed? (kg/month) disposal (kg/month) recycling
Paper
Carton boxes
Plastic bottles
Plastic
packaging
Glass
Ferrous Metal
cans
Aluminum cans

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 Food waste
Garden waste
Waste oil
Others
TOTAL

(b) Collect waste samples

Determine a few typical days (e.g. weekdays and weekend days) and collect a
number of waste samples on these days from all the operational areas (kitchens/F&B
outlets/ function rooms, guestrooms and offices).

To avoid confusion, you may wish to collect waste samples from different areas on
different days (for example, only collect sample waste from offices for sorting, and
recording on Monday, and collect waste from another area on Tuesday).

Give clear instructions to staff or cleaners who will be doing the waste audit on the
locations and types of waste they will be collecting and how to label the collection
bags / bins for identification of waste sources. Supervisors will need to pay close
attention during the waste sample collection process.

(c) Sort the waste

After the sample bags of waste are collected, labelled and recorded, the bags from
each area are weighed and emptied onto a large plastic sheet on a suitable floor.
Auditing staff will then sort the waste materials into different types / categories
according to the audit checklist, by area.

(d) Analyse the data and record the results

After sorting, each type of waste is then individually weighed and recorded. Once all
the sorted waste is weighed and recorded, you will have a large number of data
sheets showing the quantity of waste by type that was generated from each hotel
functional area sampled.

Sometimes wastes may not be seen in the refuse bins during a waste audit, but have
been identified as possible waste materials from purchasing records. In such cases,
you may estimate the types and quantities of the wastes based on the volume of
materials purchased throughout the year.

You can then compile and enter all the data gathered into the checklists, by area, and
analyse them accordingly. When analysing the data, pay special attention on how
these wastes are generated, why they are generated, at which point they are being
generated, and how they are managed after being generated. Put the analysis in
writing and it will be useful when developing 3R strategies and procedures.

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Step 4: Evaluate Opportunities to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

4.1 Reduce and Reuse

When you have completed the full waste audit and the checklist for each of your
hotel‟s operational areas, an analysis of your waste audit will reveal opportunities for
reduction, reuse and recycling.

The waste reduction / avoidance & reuse options listed below are a compilation of
what some other local and overseas hotels have been doing. You may go through
and select the ones that are useful to your hotel. Some of these waste reduction
options may entail the use of more water or energy resources, for example, more
washing is required if a switch is made from use of disposable items to reusable
items, so hotels may wish to weigh the costs and benefits of each option and go with
the options that have higher net benefits.

Kitchens and F&B Outlets

(a) Food Preparation

 Design menus so that produce and
other perishable ingredients are
interchangeable among dishes. There
will be less waste if there are fewer
orders of a particular dish.
 Offer guests the option of ordering
smaller portions to suit the needs of
different people and reduce the possible
leftover food waste on guests‟ plates.
 Ask suppliers to ship goods, such as
milk, bread, meats, fish, and produce, in
reusable shipping containers that can be
returned to the supplier for reuse.
 Place salad bar items in smaller
containers and replenish them more
often. This can help reduce the amount
of food that must be discarded from
salad bars each day / meal.

 Prepare smaller portions of pre-cooked
foods (e.g. pasta, potatoes, vegetables)
to reduce the amount later discarded.
 Buy food products in bulk, as there will
be less packaging material per unit
product, and store the unused portions
in airtight reusable food containers.
However, purchase only what can be
used as over-purchasing can result in
spoilage and wastage, thus defeating
the purpose of buying in bulk.
 Use fresh scraps left over from food
preparation to make soups and stocks.
 Donate surplus food to local charities
which accept prepared food - packaged,
prepared, fresh, frozen or baked. One
such charity is Food from the Heart,
which collects unsold bread from hotels
for distribution to the needy.

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 Bread Distribution Programme by Food From the Heart

Food from the Heart (FFTH), an organisation founded by an Austrian couple, Mr Henry & Ms
Christine Laimer, collects unsold bread and re-distributes them to the needy, to avoid food
wastage. Several hotels in Singapore are participating in this programme.

One such hotel is the Grand Hyatt Singapore that has been involved with FFTH since 2004. They
give FFTH unsold bakery items for onward distribution to welfare homes. In addition, they have
also provided freshly baked pastries and bread for family fun events which benefit the needy
families.

(b) Food Service Items

 Avoid individually wrapped packages of
sugar, butter, jam, condiments etc. and
use dispensers, small dishes or
containers instead for such items, in
restaurants and employee cafeterias.
 Eliminate paper place mats and use
cloth ones.
 Use washable hats and aprons for
kitchen staff instead of disposable ones.

 Avoid using cellophane wrap for fruit
baskets and gifts delivered to guest
rooms.
 For takeaway orders, offer napkins,
straws and condiments only upon
request, instead of offering them with
every order.
 Re-dye tablecloths and napkins to
match new colour schemes when re-
modelling, rather than purchase brand
new ones.
 Reuse worn table linen as cleaning rags
or remake them into aprons, laundry
bags or mattress covers.

 Use only reusable dishes, flatware, cups
and trays for restaurants, employee
cafeterias and room service delivery,
and reduce unnecessary packaging.
 Use reusable lids to cover food in
coolers and steam tables.
 Use only reusable cloth napkins,
tablecloths, and china for all restaurants,
meetings, functions, employee
cafeterias and rooms.
 Use cloth tags and sponges to wipe
spills in the kitchen and on dining room
tables instead of paper towels. Use
stained wash cloths and towels for
cleaning.
 Reduce menu printing costs wherever
possible, e.g., by reusing menus,
eliminating paper inserts, and using
boards to post daily specials.
 Inspect food service equipment for leaks
and malfunctions, and repair or replace
as needed to prevent food wastage.

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 (c) Beverage Service Items
 Buy beverages with the least distribution
packaging.
 Dispense beverages in reusable
glasses.
 Offer draft beer in returnable / refillable
kegs to reduce disposable bottles and
cans.
 Serve milk from steel dispensers to
decrease use of single-use containers.
Guest Rooms, Laundry and Housekeeping
 Review policies for guest room
amenities and the packaging of those
items. Inform guests of efforts to provide
amenities that have less impact on the
environment.
 Use refillable dispensers for bath soap,
shampoo, hair rinse and hand lotion for
guest rooms to eliminate soap pieces
and plastic bottles. Provide disposable
toiletries only upon request.
 If no dispensers are installed, reduce the
size of individually packaged items, such
as the bar soap, to reduce the quantities
that need to be disposed of.
 Replace tissues in bathrooms only when
they are almost empty. If your hotel‟s
policy is to replace half rolls of toilet
tissue, save them for use in staff
restrooms.
 Provide non-essential items such as
shoeshine kits and shower caps to
guests only upon request.
 Provide guest rooms with unwrapped,
reusable drinking glasses and coffee
cups instead of disposable cups.
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 Use refillable beverage containers,
especially for room service and in
restaurants and bars.
 Replace cocktail napkins with
permanent coasters at dining room
tables and bars.
 Replace disposable cocktail stirrers with
reusable stirrers.
 Use reusable metal or nylon coffee
filters.
 Offer bottled water only upon request.
 Eliminate the use of plastic liners in ice
buckets.
 Eliminate the use of paper doilies and
paper tray covers.
 Offer slippers only upon request. If your
hotel‟s policy is to provide slippers in all
guest rooms, avoid wrapping the
slippers in disposable plastic bags.
 Let guests place clothes for laundry in a
reusable laundry bag, instead of single-
use plastic bags.
 After dry cleaning or washing, return
clothes in reusable garment bags to
eliminate the need for single-use plastic
bags.
 Eliminate cardboard backing for
laundered shirts.
 Reuse clothes hangers left by guests for
employee uniforms or return to the dry
cleaners.
 Avoid placing telephone directories in
every guest room, and place telephone
directories only in strategic places such
as the areas where there are public
phones or at the front desk, and offer
them to guests only upon request.
 Offer newspapers in centrally located
places such as lobbies, restaurants, and
newsstands rather than distributing them
to each and every guest room to reduce
the volume of discarded newspapers.
Issue newspapers to guests in their
rooms only upon request.
 Deliver newspapers to guest rooms
without plastic bags; if bags must be
used, go for the reusable ones.
Offices
 Make it a hotel policy that all printing,
photocopying and publications are
produced in double-sided format where
possible. Put up posters near printers
and photocopiers to remind staff of this
policy.
 Staff should only print the documents
when they really need to.
 Edit and proof-read carefully on the
computer before printing.
 Try to lessen „mis-prints‟ by posting
instructions and diagrams on how to
create the various types of prints your
office uses such as letterheads or
specialized sizes or features that only
you use in your office.
 Use a centrally-placed or electronic
bulletin board for messages instead of
making multiple copies of memos.
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 Reduce printed information placed in
rooms. Condense printed material
where possible or designate a special
television channel for hotel information.
 Re-finish and re-upholster damaged and
dated furniture, instead of purchasing
brand new furniture.
 Re-dye stained bath towels and wash
cloths for reuse as pool towels and
cleaning cloths.
 Re-dye linen and carpets to match re-
modelled décor, rather than purchase
brand new ones.
 Rotate curtains to expose different
portions to sunlight and extend their
useful life.
 Decrease the number of hard copies of
documents by establishing a central filing
system to store documents, or use
electronic filing.
 Use electronic media such as CD-ROM,
portable hard drives, and USB memory
devices for your records.
 Use email for correspondences,
wherever possible.
 Where possible, avoid unnecessary print-
outs by faxing directly from the computer.
 Do not overlook the small and simple
ways to save paper such as using single-
spacing for report or memo writing,
setting narrower margins for documents
or changing margins to avoid having the
last page of your document contain very
little text.
 Use scrap paper instead of sticky
notepads to make notes.
 Avoid over-production of marketing and
publicity material by reviewing distribution
lists and regularly updating databases.
 Cancel subscriptions of unwanted
publications to reduce paper waste.
 Eliminate the use of fax cover sheet by
using a rubber stamp or sticky notes
designed for fax use.
 Ensure fax machines are set so that they
do not produce unwanted headers or
report sheets.
Conference Facilities
 Develop a brochure for conference
planners that encourages exhibitors and
attendees to:
o print their materials on both sides of
the page
o produce printed materials in limited
quantities with only a 10-to-15 percent
buffer
o instead of handing out large
conference packets, offer conference
literature on a table so attendees can
take only those items they wish to
keep
o take back excess promotional
materials for reuse
 Offer incentives such as reduced
disposal fees or faster breakdown
services to convention exhibitors who
minimize leftovers and take back excess
materials.
 Use reusable cloth drapes or skirting on
display booths rather than the single-use
varieties.
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 Reuse paper files and folders.
 Reuse paper that has only been printed
on one side for things such as drafts,
scrap messages pads, sketches,
temporary signs or even meeting
agendas.
 Reuse envelopes and folders for routing
in-house mail and correspondences.
 Reuse boxes to send packages, store
items, and move equipment and
supplies.
 Reuse pens, pencils, and name tag
holders. Place clearly marked collection
boxes at conference room exits and post
signs to inform conference attendees of
the policy.
 Supply note pads with limited sheets in
conference areas and guest rooms. After
conferences, use the blank portions of
the pads as scrap paper in hotel offices.
Or donate blank portions of pads to
schools or local charities.
 Provide reusable drinking glasses and
coffee cups.
 To avoid the use of individual cream and
sugar packets, provide cream for coffee
or tea in insulated or chilled pitchers and
provide sugar in dispensers.
 Reuse potted floral arrangements
purchased for special events, for other
hotel events.
 For banquets, holiday celebrations, and
other catered functions, encourage
guests and employees to take table
decorations home, or reuse them in other
areas of the hotel.
 Landscaping
 Leave grass clippings on the lawn or
mulch grass and leaves. If the lawn is cut
regularly, clippings should be small
enough to fall between the standing
blades; as they decompose they become
a good fertilizer.
 Compost landscaping waste on site.
 Offer live plants slated for replacement to
employees or donate them.
Purchasing
 Review buying records and purchase
only what is needed.
 Chart the shelf life of items and purchase
only when the item is needed. This
reduces spoilage.
 Where possible, pay a little more and buy
products and equipment that are
reusable, refillable, durable and
reparable. Over the useful life of the item,
buying for durability and reuse will save
money; keeping materials in use longer
will generate less waste to be managed
over the long term.
 Rent items/equipment that are rarely
used, rather than buy them.
 Repair items rather than purchase new
ones.
 Negotiate for longer and more
comprehensive warranties and service
contracts when purchasing durable
products.
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 Grow lawns only where practical, thereby
reducing grass clippings, and plant lower-
maintenance shrubs and bushes that
require less-frequent cutting and pruning,
generating smaller quantities of garden
waste.
 Return plastic seedling pots to nurseries.
 After pruning trees, chop smaller pieces
of wood into chips and use as mulch.
 Buy products in the largest quantity
possible in one package. One large
container of product utilizes less
packaging per unit than several smaller
containers.
 Combine supply orders from various
departments to reduce packaging waste
and benefit from volume purchasing
discounts
 Notify vendors of your efforts to obtain
products and services that have less
impact on the environment. Ask vendors
about their products and practices;
patronize suppliers who have
environmentally compatible products and
packaging.
 Ask and select vendors who take back
reusable containers, pallets and other
waste packaging.
 Work with vendors to schedule deliveries
so that supplies can be immediately
unpacked and packing materials returned
to suppliers for reuse.
 Ask vendors to increase the case size of
certain items so that fewer cases are
needed for the same number of items.
 Reuse packing materials, such as boxes,
shipping peanuts, and bubble wrap for
outgoing shipments.Choose packaging
that use less material, for hotel products.
Avoid those that use several layers of
packaging when fewer would do.
 Certain companies can tailor packaging
to reduce overall packaging use. Ask
vendors which packaging options are
available to you. For example, beer can
be packaged in kegs, in bottles - either
refillable or single-use – or in cans; with
or without stretchwrap, among other
options. Analyse the waste implications
of each option and find out if your
vendors can package supplies differently.
 Purchase vacuum cleaners with reusable
bags instead of disposables ones.
 Provide reusable mugs for staff instead
of disposable paper or polystyrene cups.
 Replace disposable batteries with
rechargeable batteries in electrical/
electronic devices where possible.
 Provide hand blow driers in common
toilets, instead of paper towels.
 Buy products with recycled content to
help conserve natural resources.
 Donate usable items such as linen,
blankets, old curtains, china and
glassware, that are no longer being used,
but are still in good condition, to
charitable organizations for reuse when
purchasing new items.

4.2 Recycling

Selecting recyclables

For waste materials that cannot be reduced or reused, identify whether they can be
accepted by local recyclers for recycling, and then develop a recycling programme for
these materials.

Overseas data shows that 50-65% of a hotel‟s waste is recyclable. The amount of
recyclables generated depends on factors such as: type of hotel, occupancy, number
and size of meal functions, bars, restaurants, lounge activity, conventions, guest and
employee activities, and purchasing practices.

In general, recyclable wastes that are found in a hotel can include the following which
are usually accepted by local recycling companies:

Paper waste: computer paper, corrugated cardboard boxes, newspapers,

telephone books, magazines, brochures, shoe boxes, milk and juice
cartons

Metal waste: used aluminum cans and foils, tin and steel cans and containers

Glass waste: used glass bottles and jars

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Plastic waste: mineral water bottles, soy sauce bottles, detergent bottles, food
containers, food and goods packaging, shrink wraps, plastic
garment bags, CDs, DVDs

Used cartridges: copier and printer cartridges

Other waste: used wooden pallets

Selecting Locations to Place Recycling Bins

It is important to determine where you would want to place your recycling bins as you
would want to set them up in locations that people will use them. Some good
locations include:

 Recycling bins for paper and/or ink cartridges in the copy room, offices, business
centres;
 Recycling bins for aluminum/glass/plastic in the kitchens and F&B areas;
 Commingled recycling bins in all guest rooms;
 Recycling bin for electronic waste in the storage room.

Selecting Recycling Service Providers

Now that you have identified the potential recyclables in your waste stream and
determined the quantity of each recyclable material, the next step is to select a
contractor to provide services for the regular collection of the recyclables and supply
recycling bins for holding the recyclables between scheduled collections.

There are a number of recycling companies in Singapore which accept all the
common recyclables. Nowadays, many waste disposal contractors are also able to
provide recycling services.

You can either engage a contractor who can provide you both recycling and waste
disposal services, or engage two or more contractors who will provide you recycling
and waste disposal services separately.

The selection criteria will be that they can provide you recycling and waste disposal
services at a reasonable overall price.

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(a) Disposal Costs

For waste disposal service fees, there are three cost components involved:

i. Container Rental Fee - This is the monthly fee charged by your contractor for
renting you a compactor, or an open top container, or
waste bins on-site.

ii. Haulage Charge - This is the fee charged by your contractor for collecting
and transporting waste to an incineration plant or the
landfill.

iii. Disposal Tipping Fee - This is the fee charged by an incineration plant / landfill
for the amount of waste being disposed of. It is based
on the weight of your hotel waste and the contractor will
pass this fee to the hotel. As of June 2011, the disposal
fee is $77 per tonne. The most updated fee standard
can be found in this link:
http://app2.nea.gov.sg/topics_waste_refuse.aspx

Some waste contractors may charge a flat fee, combining all the three cost
components, while some contractors will bill you separately and then give you a total
monthly fee, depending on the contract agreed upon.

(b) Recycling Costs

For recycling service fees, there are also a few elements of costs and revenue
involved:

i. Container Rental Fee - This is the monthly fee charged by your contractor for
renting you large recycling bins on-site.

ii. Haulage Charge - This is the fee charged by your contractor for collecting
and transporting recyclables to their recovery facilities
or to other recycling companies for further processing.

iii. Processing Fee - This is the fee charged by your contractor for sorting,
baling and processing recyclables.

iv. Revenue - There is a market value for sorted and / or processed

recyclables. When your contractor sells sorted and / or
processed recyclables to traders / manufacturers, they
will earn this revenue.

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If the value of the processed recyclables is greater than the total cost of the first three
elements, it is likely that your contractor will be able to reimburse you part of the
revenue. If the total cost is higher than the revenue, your contractor will charge you a
fee for the recycling programme, which may be lower (or equal to or higher) than the
disposal fee.

As mentioned earlier, there are a number of companies which can provide separate
or integrated recycling and disposal services, and you may find these companies in
the links here:
http://app2.nea.gov.sg/data/cmsresource/20101123161030646810.pdf
http://app2.nea.gov.sg/data/cmsresource/20101123801615392461.pdf
http://app2.nea.gov.sg/topics_collectrade.aspx

The waste recycling and collection business is a highly competitive business. To

achieve a better price for providing your hotel recycling and waste disposal services,
you may like to invite a few companies to submit their bids and then choose the
one(s) which can meet your needs at a better overall price.

It is good to have a contractor who can develop a recycling program tailored to your
business as well as provide you waste disposal service. Hence, you may like to start
talking to your existing waste disposal contractor first.

If your hotel is small and generates less recyclables, you may consider sharing
recycling & disposal services with nearby businesses which also want to go green.
This may help reduce the service cost.

Materials Collection and Preparation

For a hotel recycling programme to be successful, a certain degree of preparation is

usually required before the materials are collected for recycling, that is, cleaning and
segregation.

Contamination lowers the value of recyclable materials, and materials that are badly
contaminated will not be recycled at all. However, contamination can easily be
avoided by making sure that there are no traces of food waste residues in the
recyclable containers or packaging, and rinsing out containers before depositing
them into the recycling bins.
There are two methods of collection of recyclables. When a recycling company can
cater for both, which method is to be adopted will depend on how hotels would like to
do it and the cost maybe different.

If a recycling company can only provide one of the two methods, the choice will then
depends on the requirements of the contractor who is handling your hotel‟s
recyclable materials.

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(a) Collection of Sorted Materials

In a sorted materials recycling programme, materials are sorted by type. There will be
different collection bins for different types of materials such as steel, aluminium,
plastics, paper, and glass. Each type of recyclable is deposited in a corresponding
recycling bin.

This system requires more effort from hotel staff, more types of recycling bins, and
more space for the bins in each location. The different waste streams would also
need to be separately collected, and this could lead to higher collection costs.
However, the value of the properly sorted recyclable waste would be higher – for
example, the market price for separated A4 office paper is a few times higher than
the mixed paper.

(b) Collection of Commingled Materials

In a commingled recycling programme, all the recyclable materials are mixed and
stored together except for paper and carton boxes which are stored separately as
they need to be kept clean and dry. The paper and the boxes, and the commingled
materials are taken to contractor‟s facility where they are sorted and processed.

This system requires less effort from hotel staff, less recycling bins by type, and less
space for the bins in each location. The collection cost would also be lower, although
this may be somewhat offset by the higher sorting cost, since the contractor will need
to spend more time to sort the recyclables at their recycling facility. The value of
some recyclables may also be lower.

Before your hotel makes a decision on which collection method to go for, it would
best to discuss with your potential recycling contractor first and take into
consideration all of the above mentioned factors involved.

For recyclables from F & B outlets, such as plastic and metal packaging materials
(e.g. cans, containers, plastic packets), regardless of which collection system that
you adopt, recyclables that are in contact with food usually need some extra effort to
prepare. This mainly involves emptying and rinsing cans, or containers or plastic
packets to remove food residue. Check with your contractor on their preparation
requirements on food contaminated packaging before putting them into the recycling
bins.

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Step 5: Develop a 3R Programme

When the tasks and preparation work outlined in the previous steps are completed,
you can start to develop and write a 3R programme for your hotel including:

 Targeted waste streams for waste reduction, reuse and recycle;

 Proposed options / methods to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and a
description for each method;
 Estimated costs and / or cost savings involved;
 Estimated quantity of waste reduction (i.e. kg) for each waste stream;
 Implementation schedule of the options (steps or phases and timing for
implementation);
 Implementation requirements (such as tasks and personnel assignments),
 Training of personnel involved,
 Management requirements,
 Measurable, performance indicators and targets
 Timeline for achieving the targets

Summary of 3R Programme

In addition to the write-up of the programme, you could create a summary table of the
3R Programme similar to the one below for ease of reference for your team and the
management.

Summary of 3R Programme
Waste Qty Proposed Waste Estimated Estimated Start End Status
type (kg) 3R option reduction costs cost date date
(Reduce, goal (kg) savings
reuse,
recycle)

Step 6: Implement and Improve the 3R Programme

When the 3R Programme has been firmed up, it has to be well-implemented. At this
stage, several important actions are needed to ensure success.

Responsibilities and Resources

Firstly, the team should be clear about the goals and objectives of the plan. Assign
clear responsibilities and authority to appropriate personnel in all administrative,
operating and maintenance areas. Make the right resources available, and ensure
that the personnel take implementation actions according to schedule.

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Education and Promotion

At the same time, the team should provide educational training to staff and develop a
3R awareness programme to get the key messages across to all employees and gain
their support. The following measures could be used for providing training and
creating awareness:

 Launch the waste minimisation plan by the CEO or Managing Director of the
hotel;
 Display the 3R Programme plan and the implementation schedule with
explanation of 3R goals in prominent locations;
 Put up educational posters in strategic locations;
 Prepare 3R tips for individuals to take action and make them available to staff
through emailing and notice board;
 Share and update waste reduction results periodically with all employees;
 Organise 3R educational talks for staff in training sessions;
 Have special training for staff on how to prepare recycling materials before
depositing them in recycling bins;

Programme Monitoring, Evaluation and Improvement

To ensure a sustainable programme, the team should:

 Make all implemented options or measures part of the hotel‟s standard operating
procedures;
 Make 3R education a part of new employee orientation;
 Periodically reinforce education during staff meetings;
 Empower staff to monitor the programme for any new problems.
 Make on-going improvements. The team needs to monitor waste reduction
performance against the goals established and conduct annual reviews to
compare the current performance with the previous year. During the process,
additional waste reduction opportunities might arise. More action might be
needed or different methods might become available.

In addition, the team needs to:

 make changes to the planned actions and adjust operating procedures,
 incorporate new options or methods,
 establish new priorities for action, and
 set reviewed waste reduction goals, ideally upwards.

By following the steps in this guidebook, and using the resource information listed in
References section, it is hoped that your hotel can achieve sizable cost savings and
waste reductions, and contribute to solving Singapore‟s waste disposal problem.

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CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES

The case studies in this chapter are contributed by the following six hotels:

a) Fairmont Singapore
b) Grand Hyatt Singapore
c) Hotel Grand Pacific
d) InterContinental Singapore
e) The Regent Singapore
f) Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

Besides 3R practices, these case studies include other green initiatives such as water
conservation and energy efficiency improvement, that make economic sense.

Fairmont Singapore

A Brief on the Hotel

Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts pioneer property in Asia comprises 769
guestrooms and suites, and offers a distinct collection of 16 restaurants and bars, the
award-winning 50,000sqft Willow Stream Spa and the cutting edge Raffles City
Convention Centre, offering 70,000sqft of cutting-edge function space, with 27 meeting
rooms. Strategically located in the heart of Singapore‟s business, shopping and
entertainment districts, Fairmont Singapore is where sophisticated travelers discover
culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the Lion City.

About Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

With over 60 distinctive hotels, including the iconic Fairmont San Francisco and
Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an unrivalled collection
of properties located in some of the world‟s most coveted destinations. Known for its
warm, engaging service and culturally rich experiences, this global hospitality brand
features classic hotels that imbue a sense of heritage, sophistication and social
importance and are often considered destinations in their own right. Fairmont is also
committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel
management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by
FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with over 95 hotels under the
Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont and
Raffles branded residences, estates and luxury private residence club properties. For
more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit
www.fairmont.com.

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Overview of Fairmont Singapore‟s Green Policies
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts was founded on an enduring connection to the land and
communities where we do business. In 1990, our Canadian hotels pioneered the Green
Partnership programme - an award-winning comprehensive commitment towards
minimising our hotels‟ impact on the planet, which was accompanied by a guidebook on
sustainable best practices in the lodging industry. This Green philosophy has grown to
become a core value of our company.

In line with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts‟ illustrious achievements, Fairmont Singapore
formed its own Green team in early 2008 and waged its own war to effectively and
efficiently utilise its resources, minimise its carbon footprint whilst positively impacting its
surrounding environment. Fairmont Singapore‟s Green team comprises staff volunteers,
who share a common passion for eco-conservation. Since its inception, the team has
developed and adopted a slew of environmentally-friendly projects, which are aimed at
minimising the hotel‟s ecological impact.

Fairmont Singapore‟s sustainability efforts provide guests with eco-friendly and green
services in its various operations including accommodations, meetings/conventions
services, culinary through healthy, lifestyle and sustainable cuisine and seafood
choices, energy and water conservation, hotel-wide waste management programme, oil
recycling for bio-fuel, a fully functional herb garden and community partnership with
agencies including World Wildlife Fund, Waterways Watch Singapore, SPCA and
ACRES.

In less than three years, Fairmont Singapore focused on encompassing improvements

in the areas of energy and water conservation, waste management, pioneering
community outreach programmes involving local groups and partnerships and
sustainable culinary practices. It is our hope to spread awareness on the essence of
conservation of fragile natural resources and play our part in the community we live in.
Our green and sustainable initiatives highlight the essence of providing guests the
options to make their stay in a hotel an experience that will enable and empower them
to make a difference not only in their lifestyles, but contribute in saving the lion city‟s
fragile environment. These efforts serve as awareness programmes and our aim is to
inspire and influence through our adherence to strong environmental principles, which
include buying local food and supplies, wherever possible; conserving energy through
efficient lightings; using Green approaches to waste management, oil recycling for bio-
fuel conversion, composting; and protecting local habitats as well. Ultimately, making a
positive difference in our environment and the community in a good way is the issue in
our mind. Fairmont Singapore‟s Green programme, spearheaded by its Green and
Sustainable team has already been recognised for its efforts in Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts Environmental Leadership Award for top hotel in the “Seedling” category in
2008 and 2009. This is the highest award that can be attained by any Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts that are less than 3 years in the programme.

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Fairmont Singapore‟s green and sustainable programme and initiatives allows Fairmont
Singapore to exceed guests‟ expectations of operational sustainability and responsible
tourism, because the environment is where we live, work and play.

Herb Garden on Property - An Oasis In The Sky

In 2008, Fairmont Singapore also developed its own Herb Garden, located on level 5.
This unique, one-of-its-kind garden grows 24 different types of herbs such as thyme,
laksa leaves, yellow chilli, lemon, curry leaves, parsley, green pepper, pandan leaves,
bell peppers, lemongrass, mint, mint grass, rosemary, bay leaves, basil, sweet basil
limes and coriander, which are distributed and used at the various restaurants in the
hotel complex.

Executive Sous Chef Nathan Brown oversees the award-wnning Herb Garden and
conducts the harvesting of selected herbs, on a regular basis. To keep these herbs
healthy, Fairmont Singapore creates its own compost that serves as natural fertilizers
for the plants. The composts are produced in-house via an efficient Can-O-Worms
method utilising the waste products of a few thousand cultured worms, which are also
nestled within the Herb Garden.
• We support the use of local, seasonal and organic foods, where possible
• We offer a selection of organic wines
• We offer sustainable seafood choices in all our menus
• We offer menus featuring vegetarian options
• We offer alternate options to shark‟s fin soup

Energy and Water Conservation

To conserve energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions, Fairmont has introduced
compact fluorescent light bulbs, where possible. Most hotels now have water-efficient
showerheads and tap aerators, and we continue to replace all toilets that have a flush
capacity over 2 gallons (7.6 litres). Guests can do their part by choosing to participate in
the towel and sheet exchange programme offered at all Fairmont properties.

At Fairmont Singapore, energy and water conservation projects include:

• Replace fluorescent lights along guest room corridor with LED lights
• Replace fluorescent lights in bathrooms to TL lights with a lower wattage
• Install an energy saving device (key card slot) in renovated guest rooms
• Replace flow valve and thermostat for air-con system in guest rooms
• Install timers for air-con in offices
• Install motion detectors to activate lightings in toilets
• Relocate air-compressors in laundry to natural ventilated locations
• Install timer and air reservoir to reduce over loading on air-compressor at laundry
• Install waste steam recovery system to recover waste heat for hot water at laundry
• Review and adjust schedule and temperature setting for air-con system in
restaurants and meeting rooms
• Replace incandescent lights with LED lights at Raffles City Convention Centre
• Improve air-con servicing to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption

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• Install thermostat control for air-con in meeting rooms (Raffles City Convention
Centre)
• Adjust hot water pressure and temperature to reduce hot water consumption
• Install heat resistant film at balcony door to reduce air-con load
• Install timer to cut off compressors for cold room
• Install timer to off lights at The Tuckshop, the colleague restaurant

Waste Management and Recycling

Paper, packaging and garbage are a reality of our lives, and of any business. Fairmont
has consistently cut these side effects of our operations. While effective waste
management comes with challenges, such as operating in communities without
recycling facilities, we continue to reduce and divert waste and identify other eco-
friendly opportunities.

Fairmont Singapore‟s partnership with SembEnviro generates the largest hotel recycling
efforts in Singapore. On average, over 20,000 kilogrammes of recyclable materials are
collected each month. Prior to commencing this recycling campaign, training sessions
on proper waste disposal were conducted in all departments involving all operational
colleagues. Fairmont Singapore‟s waste management endeavours are continuously
monitored and audited, and in collaboration with SembEnviro, ensure that collected
materials are properly disposed of and given a new lease as a recycled material.

Fairmont Green Cuisine

It is a programme we offer to our guests, providing them with healthy and nutritious
options at all our restaurants, through our banquet services and in-room dining. We
have a brand-wide commitment to use organic, sustainable and local cuisine, wherever
possible, leveraging on partnerships with local purveyors to source the best ingredients
possible. As part of this commitment, we have recently engaged in sustainable seafood
initiatives, which result in the removal of endangered species from our menus worldwide;
in particular, Chilean Sea Bass and Bluefin Tuna. Fairmont Singapore has also ceased
to offer Shark‟s Fin Soups in its restaurants as well as the Raffles City Convention
Centre. Currently, Fairmont Singapore is partnering with the World Wide Fund (WWF)
and hopes to align with this recognised global organisation for proper guidance in its
seafood purchasing decisions and continue to work with local vendors to procure the
most sustainable options for this region.

Through a variety of initiatives including Singapore‟s largest hospitality recycling efforts,

energy-savings measures, retrofitting of lightings and water taps at strategic areas and
the installation of a Herb Garden within the hotel, Fairmont Singapore generated
savings for the entire complex of over S$66,000 by end of 2008.

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Sustainable Seafood Selection and Choices

On 1 Dec 2008, Fairmont Singapore removed Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonia Tooth Fish)
and Blue Fin Tuna from its menus. Chilean Sea Bass (also called Patagonia Tooth Fish)
suffers from illegal harvesting and over-fishing. High demand for this naturally long-lived
fish has driven depletion and created an incentive for illegal and unregulated fishing.
Bluefin Tuna is heavily over-fished in international waters. The World Conservation
Union, which ranks the official status of species with conservation concerns, places
Southern Bluefin Tuna in the most threatened category, “critically endangered”, as
stocks have declined by 97 per cent.

On January 2009, Fairmont Singapore also ceased to serve and offer Shark‟s Fin Soup
to its diners at Szechuan Court and guests at Raffles City Convention Centre. At least
17 species of sharks are considered critically endangered and millions are harvested
and cruelly killed through a process called “finning” wherein fins are hacked off sharks
whilst they are still alive and the bodies discarded and thrown back to the sea, leaving
the fish to drown and bleed to death. This dish has since been replaced by equally
sumptuous alternative soups for diners and celebrants to enjoy. Fairmont Singapore
believes that the hotel and its restaurants play pivotal roles as gatekeepers to a more
sustainable seafood friendly foodie community. It is a known fact that majority of
seafood consumption in the country happens outside the home and restaurants often
dictate and heavily influence diners‟ culinary preferences.

On 25 February 2010 and in conjunction with the World Wide Fund‟s (WWF) launch of
Singapore‟s first Seafood Guide, Fairmont Singapore highlighted the essence of
sustainable dining choices through the produce it uses in its kitchens, which are
included in WWF‟s Seafood Guide. These seafood items include Mud Crab (Scylla
Serrata) wild caught from Sri Lanka; Coral Trout (Plectropomus Leopardus) wild caught
from Australia; Oyster (Crassostrea Gigas) cultured from Canada and Green Lipped
Mussel (Perna Canaliculus) cultured from New Zealand.

“The Fairmont Singapore supports the World Wide Fund‟s Singapore Seafood Guide,
which provides a clear distinction, information and traceability of seafood. It tells exactly
where the fish are harvested and how they were caught. These details are vital in the
Fairmont Singapore‟s continuing efforts to educate our guests and diners,” remarked Mr
Ian Wilson, its General Manager. “It perfectly parallels Fairmont Hotels & Resorts‟
award-winning Green Partnership Programme established two decades ago. It
reinforces our passion to generate greater awareness on Eco-conservation and the
urgent need for sustainability even in our guests‟ dining choices. We continue to make
necessary adjustments in our menus, whenever possible,” Mr Wilson added.

Page 35 of 62
An Accredited Eco-Meet Hotel

Fairmont Singapore has become a fully compliant Eco-Meet Hotel and Meetings Venue
in 2009. This accreditation is a ground-breaking certification recognising the hotel‟s
efforts to minimise the ecological impact of meetings and events, whilst demonstrating
flexibility through four key components – Eco-Accommodation, Eco-Cuisine, Eco-
Service and Eco-Programming – to meet the needs and expectations of each client.

Awards & Distinctions

In 2008, we were privileged and honoured to be conferred with the following distinctions
for our commitment towards effective and encompassing green and sustainable
programmes:

Fairmont Singapore‟s Eco Champion and Hotel Manager, Mr Carlos Monterde receiving
the Singapore Green Hotel Award 2009 on behalf of RC Hotels from Dr Amy Khor.

Fairmont Singapore has

also been recognised by
the ASEAN Tourism
Standard with an ASEAN
Green Hotel Standard
seal for 2010 - 2011 as
well as an Eco- Hotel
certification by TUV
Rheinland

Page 36 of 62
“These wonderful recognitions are inspiring
affirmation of the hotel’s commitment to eco-
conservation.”

Ian Wilson
Regional Vice President,
China and South East Asia
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Fairmont Singapore has also been awarded the

Environmental Hotel of the Year 2008, 2009 and
2010 (Seedling Category) by Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts during its initial year of green programmes.

Fairmont Singapore‟s “Green Oasis in the Sky” was honoured with a Silver Award for
the Best New Garden under the Organisation category of National Parks Board’s
Community in Bloom Awards 2010. Out of 49 entries, the Herb Garden located five
floors up the Singapore skyline emerges amongst the best gardens in the “garden city”.

Page 37 of 62
Grand Hyatt Singapore

Overview
More than a luxury hotel, the Grand Hyatt Singapore Hotel is an oasis for business and
leisure travelers who look for the comforts of a home when staying in Singapore. Our
city hotel is strategically located at the start of Orchard Road, in the centre of
Singapore's commercial and entertainment district, and just a 30-minute drive from
Singapore's Changi Airport. The hotel is also host to Damai Spa, Singapore.

Overview of the Green Policies in Grand Hyatt Singapore

Hyatt Earth: Our Commitment

We believe it is our shared responsibility to combine astute asset management with a

passionate commitment to genuine and strategic stewardship of the environment.
We are committed to designing, building and managing innovative hotels that provide
our guests with authentic and comfortable accommodations and that respect the natural
environment and the local communities in which we operate.
We engage and motivate our colleagues around the world to be our ambassadors in
achieving these goals, we work with suppliers to develop and provide innovative
products and solutions, and we strive to offer our guests unparalleled service in
surroundings that reduce our impact on the environment and positively contribute to the
community.

Every Hyatt hotel, globally, has a green team who oversees the green initiative as well
as implementation of these initiatives. Hyatt Earth workshops, a three-module program,
are also facilitated by several members of the hotel Green Team.

This program will focus on creating awareness and providing tools to support Hyatt‟s
strategic environmental goals and initiatives. Each module is also designed to help
reduce operating costs through the conservation of resources and by minimizing waste
and unnecessary consumption.

Waste Management Strategies taken

1) Reduce waste from the start – i.e. worked with suppliers and contractors to remove
wrapping materials for deliveries and bring back the wrapping materials for recycling
purposes
2) Recycling of papers, encourage staff to use both sides of a paper before disposing.
3) Work with Alpha BioDiesel Pte Ltd to recycle used cooking oil to produce biodiesel
for lorries

Page 38 of 62
4) Re-use construction materials whenever renovation takes place – e.g. decorative
panels in Straits Kitchen were made from used glass bottles, old pumps, square
bars etc.
5) Recycle of water in laundry plant
6) Water savings devices installed in guest rooms and kitchens to reduce wastage
7) Energy savings lightings used in back of house as well as common areas to reduce
energy wastage

The total waste collected at the compactor from the hotel was approximately 124 ton
per month and the previous waste management company collected the waste daily. The
cost of haulage for a year was approximately S$48000.

With the new recycling process implemented, the non-recyclable wastes collected at the
compactor are reduced to 70 ton per month. The frequency of haulage is also reduced
and the haulage fee for a year now is S$31000, a savings of 35%.

Different types of bins used for segregation of wastes

Water Recycling in Laundry Plant

Since 2007, Grand Hyatt Singapore‟s laundry plant includes a water savings feature
through re-use the last rinse water to be the first wash of the next wash cycle. This
feature saves GHS 20% on electricity, 40% of water and 20% of diesel use for steam
generation which equates to a monthly savings of approximately S$12,000.

Page 39 of 62
Trigen plant

Grand Hyatt Singapore adopts environmental-friendly approaches and practices to

achieve business goals. Construction of an energy cascaded Trigen plant – a
pioneering project done in conjunction with the National University of Singapore – is the
next objective on our green roadmap. The Trigen plant, which couples with the state-of-
the-art technology, will address the needs of replacement of the aged steam boilers (>
26 years). This concept presents an opportunity to revamp ageing emergency power
and boiler plants with a high efficient Trigen plant. Trigen will reduce Hotel‟s operating
costs, which, directly translate potential energy costs savings back to the bottom line.
The plant was tested and commissioned in July 2010. The electricity generated
contributes to 15% of the daily electrical consumed by the hotel. On the other hand,
diesel consumption has reduced by 36%, which saves the hotel approximately
$300,000 yearly on electrical and diesel cost.

Page 40 of 62
Hotel Grand Pacific

Hotel Grand Pacific (formerly the Allson Hotel) is centrally located in the city district, just
18 km away from Changi International Airport. Our 16 storey 240-room hotel is within
walking distance to many places of interest – namely, the Suntec Convention and
Exhibition Centre, the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Marina Square, Museums,
National Library and the Singapore Management University. Surrounded by the three
Mass Rapid Transit Stations (Bugis Junction, City Hall and Bras Basah) the Hotel is
linked to Bugis Junction shopping mall and the Orchard Road shopping belt, Chinatown
and Little India historical heritages. Its 148 staff are ever ready to serve and see to the
needs of all our guests round the clock with full complement of hotel facilities.

Hotel‟s Objective in Environmental Conservation

Maintaining and promoting a preservation of the environment culture in the hospitality

industry through effective and innovative waste management and energy conservation
policies and practices.

Overview of the Green Policies

In our efforts to save the Earth, the management has made resource preservation and
environment conservation the culture of our Hotel through gaining the commitment and
involvement of everyone of our staff, enabling us to successfully implement the
following policies:

 Reduce all waste whenever and wherever practical and economical to do so.

 Devise as much cost saving ways and means as possible to lower energy
consumption – reducing wastage on food and operational materials, imposing work
processes and techniques to cut cost and reduce excess input.

 Every employee taking ownership and responsibility for reducing waste and
complying fully with all waste reduction programme goals set by the hotel.

 Every employee striving to excel in waste reduction and helping to minimise adverse
impact on the environment.

 Implementing environmentally sound measures to reduce, reuse and recycle waste

whenever possible.

Page 41 of 62
Key Initiatives

As part of our on-going effort to “Save our Planet”,

the Green Committee (Formerly the Environment
and Energy Conservation Committee) chaired by
our Deputy General Manager Mr. Albert Lai was
formed to oversee, review and make
recommendations on green issues and
environmental matters.

Some key initiatives the committee has contributed include:

1. Environmental Conservation Activities such as:

- printing on both sides of paper for memos, emails, etc.
- sending of plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, papers and newspapers etc. for
recycling
- promoting environmental and energy conservation through talks, seminars, and
exhibitions
- weekly gardening sessions involving all office staff

2. Environmental Awareness Programmes such as:

- staff education e.g. educational talks and exhibitions were organized for staff to
attend during working hours
- staff activities e.g. paid visits to Ulu Pandan Sewage Work Plant, Ulu Pandan
Refuse Incineration Plant, ECO - IEE Resource Recovery Centre in Tuas, Pulau
Semakau Landfill, NeWater Visitor Centre at Bedok and a paper mill in kluang
Malaysia, to gain insight into waste management processes
- participating in the Clean and Green Singapore events annually to educate our
staff and inculcate environmental friendly practices
- screening of DVD on waste minimization and recycling
- displaying of posters on reduce reuse and recycle

3. Collaboration with Community

- Organising for the hotel a mini bazaar flea market sale of recyclable items and
sales of indoor plants and donating the sales proceeds to charitable organizations
- Collection of recycle gifts for donations to the Boys Brigade Sharity Wish Tree
2010
- participating in the „Earth Hour‟ by turning off non-essential lights and fixtures for
one hour. Staff went without air-conditioned comfort during this hour to help
conserve the environment

Page 42 of 62
4. Involving Guests in Green Practices
- placing additional bins specifically for recyclable items in guestrooms
- tags and mirror stickers to encourage guests to re-use towels
- letters to guests to promote environmental awareness

5. Adoption of Energy Saving Techniques

- heat recovery system is used to produce hot water
- energy saving lights are used throughout the building
- sensors are installed to regulate the water flow of hand basin taps
- chilled water for air-conditioners is thermostat controlled

6. Air Quality Management

- all areas in the Hotel are non-smoking except certain designated rooms
- staff wishing to smoke have to change out of their uniforms and to smoke only at
designated smoking area outside the Hotel

Distinct examples in practicing the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)

(a) Reduce

Significant efforts made to reduce water usage and save energy were as follows:

Flow regulators and self-stopping or sensor taps were installed in all the public toilets.
Water-saving cisterns were installed in most of the guest rooms. Rooms with the 9-litre
cistern tanks had a water saving bag placed inside the tank to reduce flushing water
consumption.

Washing machines for in-house or guest use are of the water saving type.

Water used to wash rice in the restaurants and water from dehumidifiers are used to
water the plants in the garden.

Bed sheets used in occupied rooms are washed on Mondays and Fridays unless
otherwise requested by guests. Notices regarding the use/washing of towels are placed
in all rooms.

Page 43 of 62
 The

NeWater line has been connected for the cooling tower, chilled water plant, laundry
plant, boiler and gardening taps to reduce the use of potable water.

Tags, mirror stickers and letters are prominently placed in the rooms seeking guests‟
cooperation to reuse towels with environmental conservation in mind to help minimise
water wastage and reduce the use of detergent.

The key card switch controls power supplies in all our guest rooms. The supply will be
disconnected after the key card is removed when the guest is leaving the room thus
saving energy.

Timers are used in the air-condition system and AHU‟s. The staff canteen air-
conditioners are turned on only during the meal periods. Escalators are only activated
when there is high usage like during lunchtime and big functions.

Energy saving lights are used in all the rooms. LED lights are used for decorative
lightings, like lifts lobbies and counters‟ skirting. Replacement of old higher-energy
consumption light fixtures to energy-efficient lights is done gradually to reduce
unnecessary wastage.

Guest rooms are fitted with double-glazed tinted windows for heat insulation.

Page 44 of 62
(b) Reuse

Staff members and their families are encouraged to

donate new and unused items for sale at the
Hotel‟s mini bazaar, the proceeds of which are
donated to the charitable organisations. They also
participate actively in the recycling competition held
annually by the Hotel.

In 2002, staff collected empty drink cans to build an 8- foot tall Christmas tree, which
was displayed in the Hotel‟s lobby. Guests were invited to participate in this effort by
taking part in the „guess-the-number-of-cans‟ contest.

(c) Recycle

Bins marked specifically for containing recyclable

items are placed in guest rooms and the public
areas, in addition to the normal bins. Tags, mirror
stickers and letters are prominently displayed to
urge guests to cooperate and support the Hotel‟s
efforts to „Go Green‟.

Drink cans, cardboard boxes, newspapers, plastic products, used cooking oil, glasses,
oil tins, magazines and batteries are properly separated from general waste and
deposited in our recycling bin centre for collection by the recycling contractors.

Page 45 of 62
A breakdown of the waste collected from January 2009 to December 2010 and sold for
recycling is given in the table below:

Jan 2009 – Dec 2009 Jan 2010 – Dec 2010

Total Total Cash Total Total
Weight Proceed Weight Cash
Trash for Cash (Kg) (Kg) Proceed
Newspaper 2,490 $297.00 3,340 $610.80
Carton Boxes 1,190 $105.70 1,510 $236.50
Colour Paper 1,320 $119.80 1,640 $176.00
White Paper 520 $90.70 670 $159.00
Broachers and 2,300 $240.00 2,800 $260.00
magazines
Drink Cans 54 $37.80 95 $67.60
Oil Tins 52 $1.80 386 0
Plastic Bottles 300 0 585 0
Glass Bottles 78 0 410 0
Telephone Directories 80 $5.60 340 $30.70
Used Cooking Oil 4,470 $1,788.00 5,140 $2,906.00
12,854 $2,686.40 16,916 $4,446.60
Total cash proceeds
Saving in NEA waste @ $77 per @ $77 per
disposal charge 1000kg $989.80 1000kg $1,302.50
$3,676.20 $5,749.10
Total benefit to Hotel

Proceeds collected from the sales of recyclable wastes are used to subsidise purchases
of plants and other tools for the Hotel‟s Gardening team‟s use to enhance the „Green‟
effect. The funds are also used for other „Clean and Green‟ activities initiated by the
hotel.

On-going Projects

Effective 1st October 2010 Hotel Grand Pacific has become a smoke-free hotel – a
haven for all health-conscious non-smoking guests. It will be strictly NO SMOKING in all
guest rooms and public areas of the hotel. This radical initiative is not only
environmental friendly; it also improves the general air quality for our guests, staff and
neighbours.

Herbs Corner

In 2011, Hotel Grand Pacific also developed our own Herbs Corner, located on level 5
(sundeck). This Herbs Corner supplies different types of herb such as laksa and curry
leaves, lemongrass, mint, chilli, sweet basil, limes etc. for our Cafe and staff Cafeteria
use. It also provides Chinese herbs such as “love boat” that have a “cooling” effect and
“bitter leaves” for sore-throat remedy.

Page 46 of 62
To bring us to another level, we have engaged professional help and expertise to audit
our energy efficiency rating and provide recommendations for us to make the necessary
improvements.

The Hotel will continue to upgrade its facilities such as investing in energy efficient
chilled water plants and air handling units. Replacement of lights with energy saving
lights and LED lights to cut down electricity consumption to reduce carbon emission
further is also ongoing.

Other Information – Awards received by the Hotel

 Asean Green Hotel Standard 2010 – 2011

 Singapore Green Hotel Award 2009
 Asean Green Hotel Standard 2008 – 2009
 Friends of Water 2008
 Water Efficient Building 2008

Page 47 of 62
InterContinental Singapore

Introduction

A unique landmark set in the heart of historic Bugis; InterContinental Singapore is

Singapore‟s only Peranakan-inspired luxury hotel. The hotel décor reflects its distinctive
Peranakan (Straits Chinese) architecture, ornate art and tapestry. There are 403
guestrooms including Deluxe rooms, the signature Peranakan-inspired Shophouse
rooms, Premier rooms, Club InterContinental rooms and a range of luxury suites. Since
opening its doors in 1995, InterContinental Singapore has earned and maintained a
strong reputation for outstanding service, recently awarded for “Service Excellence” and
“Best Front of the House” by Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards 2009-2011, Singapore
Series. Services and facilities include a newly renovated Peranakan-inspired Club
InterContinental Lounge, a lobby lounge, a bar, three restaurants serving Chinese,
Japanese and International cuisines; a swimming pool and 24-hour fitness, room
service, business centre, laundry and valet.

Overview of the Green Policies in the Hotel

True to our “In the Know” heritage, InterContinental aims to provide guests with
enriching travel experiences, responsibly guided by the values of geotourism. We hope
to inspire among our guests and employees the passion to celebrate and preserve the
diversity of the destinations where we are present.

In keeping with the five principles of Responsible Business, InterContinental Singapore

will continue to

• Conserve global environmental resources within the hotel‟s premises without

sacrificing safety standards or compromising guest satisfaction.

• Minimise and efficiently manage operational waste, ensuring the least possible
negative impact on the environment.

• Participate in local community activities which impact the environment.

• Develop awareness of environmental issues internally and externally through a

variety of education and training initiatives.

• Select products and materials from environmentally responsible sources only

(suppliers and vendors).

• Implement its environmental practices in future refurbishment and renovation

projects, design and technology.

Page 48 of 62
Hotel’s 3R Practices

In line with our green policies, InterContinental Singapore has adopted a five-pronged
waste management strategy to reduce daily waste and contribute to a greener
environment:

1. Reduction of waste to landfill and segregation of waste generated by hotel

operation

We have been actively taking steps to reduce our daily waste to the landfill since the
year 2009.

All waste produced in the hotel including that from our kitchens is segregated at the
garbage center located on premise. The waste is then separated into organic and non
organic waste.

Today, we have reduced our operational waste sent to the landfill by 65% from the year
2010.

2. Collection of recyclable materials by external contractor with green credentials

The hotel manually segregates glass bottles, plastic items, cardboard and paper to be
collected by waste collectors and recycled.

The waste collector that we engage is the only one in Singapore who has the capacity
to recycle organic waste, generate energy and convert it into plants fertilizers.

Recycled paper is also used when possible.

3. Eco-awareness and engagement initiatives for hotel guests

Our guest rooms feature informative collaterals to seek support for our green
commitment.

With the use of „Environmental Cards‟, we communicate our green values to guests by
encouraging them to reuse bathrobes and towels as well as the changing of bed sheets
only when it is necessary.

On 28 March 2011, the hotel participated in Earth Hour by switching off all lights in the
lobby, restaurants and bars as well as the façade of the hotel. Our guests were offered
special F&B discounts to encourage them to support this environmental activity.

Page 49 of 62
4. Carbon footprint reduction

Energy saving measures

We have implemented measures that include using energy saving T5 light tubes in back
of the house and Compact Florescent Light bulbs (CFL) in all guest rooms, resulting in
approximately 80% energy saving for the hotel.

Our room key control system allows energy saving when the room is not occupied by
guests. All lighting is switched off and air-conditioning runs at the pre-set temperature to
maintain the room‟s humidity. Back of the house timer controls are installed to switch off
lights after 7 p.m.

In addition, variable speed drive units that control electricity usage by cooling towers
eliminate power wastage through variation of the motor speed. This results in a
reduction of electricity consumption by 35%.

The hotel‟s newly refurbished signature Cantonese restaurant Man Fu Yuan has been
fully fitted with LED lighting, likely to be first restaurant in Singapore to have done so.
Whilst still retaining the warm lighting mood created by incandescent lights, the usage of
LED light will allow the hotel to achieve a saving in its energy consumption by 80%.

Reducing water consumption

Our team checks for water leakage from fittings twice a month to ensure that there is no
wastage of water due to leaks.

The hotel also has water saving devices with low/dual flush toilets, low-flow tap fittings
and low-flow shower fittings.

This has led to a reduction in water usage by about 8% from the previous year. Our
water consumption of 859-litre per guest night is also below the EarthCheck
Benchmark Programme‟s* average level.

*The EarthCheck Program was developed in Australia and is the world‟s leading
environmental management system used by the travel and tourism industry for the
benchmarking and certification of their operational practices.

Herb Garden

We have grown a herb garden on our hotel‟s available terraces to maintain a green
environment within the hotel.

The herbs we grow are 100 % organic as they are maintained using natural fertilizers
from organic waste instead of the chemical sprays that are frequently used.

Page 50 of 62
The herbs are harvested and used daily in food preparation in our kitchens and include
basil, pandan leaves, lemongrass and mint leaves.

5. Knowledge sharing and engagement for internal staff

Our Environmental Management System (EMS) committee was set up two years ago to
create green knowledge, enhance green efforts and share best practices to be
implemented in the hotel.

EMS introduction program has also been included in our new staff orientation program
so as to equip them with knowledge and commitment towards responsible business.

Conclusion

In implementing these initiatives, InterContinental Singapore has ensured efficient

practices, great cost savings and reduction in its environmental footprint, placing the
hotel as one of the leaders in the ever-increasing market for environmental
sustainability.

Environmental accolades like the Energy Smart Hotel Award, the ASEAN Green Hotel
Award and our recent EarthCheck Silver Certification for environmental practices are
testament to our hotel‟s commitment towards continually enhancing and finding new
methods of sustainable green practices.

Page 51 of 62
The Regent Singapore

The Regent Singapore offers 440 rooms, houses 7

dining outlets, 14 function rooms and a ballroom and
has a gross floor area of 42,483m2. Awarded Gold
Plus under the BCA‟s Green Mark Scheme in May
2008, certified by PUB as a Water Efficient Building in
October 2008 and Watermark Award for Year 2010.

The Regent Singapore enjoys waste minimization of

about 5%, reflecting the success of implementing
various waste minimization measures.

The Regent Singapore is committed to:

1. Actively conserve natural resources and energy in the Hotel without

compromising on the Hotel‟s safety and operational standards.
2. Benchmark our energy utilisation and consumption with good hotel industry
practices
3. Efficiently manage our waste production in order to benefit the Environment

Environmental Management Committee

Senior management is very supportive of environmental issues. An environmental

committee comprising of different representatives from different departments is tasked
to look into waste minimization conservation matters in addition to other environmental
issues. Monthly meetings are held and talks and briefings are organised to create
awareness among employees to conserve and recycle at all times. Articles concerning
environmental issues are also posted on a specially installed Corporate Social
Responsibility notice board for the staff to read.

Page 52 of 62
 A notice board is set up to create environmental awareness.

On the key performance indicated, we follow the guideline “Why environment

benchmarking will help your hotel” which is produced by The International Business
Leaders Forum‟s Travel and Tourism Programme and WWF-UK.

What we recycle

We set up recycle bins at designated locations and all kitchens. The items we recycle
are cans, cooking oil, bottles and cartons, plastic, paper and cartons. We trained our
kitchen / stewarding staff to segregate food waste and general waste at source that is
all kitchens. This has reduced our waste disposal to the landfill considerably.

Page 53 of 62
Bed Linen Recycling Initiative

Page 54 of 62
1. Organic Waste Collection Summary for Year 2008-Year 2010

Page 55 of 62
2. Recyclables Tonnage Summary for Year 2010

Page 56 of 62
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

Introduction

Set in peaceful surroundings amidst 15 acres of lush tropical gardens, Shangri-La Hotel,
Singapore is a short five minute walk to the famed shopping belts of Orchard Road and
a 10-minute taxi ride to the Central Business District. Guests can choose from 750
luxurious guestrooms and suites in three distinct wings: the contemporary Tower Wing,
the tropical Garden Wing and the exclusive Valley Wing.

Recreational facilities at Shangri-La Singapore are simply unsurpassed in variety. The

hotel's 15 acres of luxuriant gardens, also known as Singapore‟s second Botanical
Gardens, house more than 110 varieties of 133,000 plants, flowers and trees. In the
midst of the beautifully landscaped grounds are tennis courts, a large outdoor swimming
pool and jacuzzi plus an impeccably kept three-hole pitch-and-putt golf course and a
state-of-the-art Health Club.

Hotel‟s 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) Practices

Corporate Social Responsibility Objective

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:

“Shangri-la hotel Singapore is at all times committed to continuously finding ways to

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle for a better environment which will benefit our stakeholders
and the future generation.”

In alignment with the Hotel‟s CSR objective, which has 3R as its key emphasis and
strategy, the hotel had reviewed its greening efforts and embarked on a food waste
recycling and other recyclable initiatives.

Recycling Program Education

The hotel has implemented the following to enhance hotel employees‟ awareness and
education:
 Posters and notices have been put up along staff walkways / corridors.
 Hotel had invited both NEA and Vendor for an in-house employee briefing and
training.
 Set up color codes for bins within the premises.
 Waste recycling is discussed and updated in the hotel‟s Environment Committee
(Monthly Integrated Management System meeting, chair by the hotel Resident
Manager).
 Recycled materials such as Paper, Cardboards, Glass bottles, Plastics, Metals and
Styrofoam are sorted into different categories and collected by recycling vendors.
 Used cooking oil is collected in drums and removed by vendors.
 Used ink cartridges are collected by the vendor for recycling.
Page 57 of 62
Project Key Target

The hotel had set its project target for the overall recycling rate at 40%. However, the
hotel had achieved for the period February to December 2010, a total overall recycling
rate of 59.1%.

To date, (February 2010 to April 2011), the total overall recycling rate is 50%.

The hotel aims to improve the recycling rate of the other recyclables to above 12%,
within the next 6 months.

The Cages at the loading bay area, adjacent to the Staff entrance is set up for the CRC,
Central Recycling Center (Green Corner).

NB. Please see the below table for the detailed information.

Page 58 of 62
 Shangri-La Hotel Singapore - Recyclables Tonnage Report

Recyclables Tonnage (kg)**

Total Waste
Glass Total Collected Percentage
MONTH Cartons Newspapers Metals Plastics Bottles Foam (kg) (kg) of Recovery
Jan-10 2700 3500 6200
Feb-10 2000 3100 5100 167670 3.00%

Mar-10 2115 3300 5415 174180 54.30%

Apr-10 2000 3200 5200 165130 61.20%

May-10 2200 3000 5200 180870 60.80%

Jun-10 2300 3100 5400 157550 59.40%

Jul-10 1900 2800 4700 170030 70.70%

Aug-10 2530 4005 605 485 2555 430 10610 166360 71.60%

Sep-10 2660 4220 630 456 2300 400 10666 174720 73.60%

Oct-10 2430 4000 600 420 2010 410 9870 176470 63.20%

Nov-10 2330 3900 520 450 2400 330 9930 168710 67.40%

Dec-10 2500 3700 500 505 2550 330 10085 181830 68.20%

Jan-11 2890 4655 690 525 2855 430 12045 177160 62.50%

Feb-11 2300 4010 585 500 2450 385 10230 159360 6.00%

Mar-11 3750 5410 760 600 3700 550 14770 158270 8.50%

Apr-11 3000 5100 520 770 4100 100 13590 150040 8.30%

Total 39605 61000 5410 4711 24920 3365 132811 2528350 50.00%

Page 59 of 62
Reduction & Conservation of Resources

 Overhaul the hotel chiller to improve the efficiency of the system.

 Engaged external air-conditioning specialist to service all the guestrooms‟ air-
conditioning unit to ensure optimum performance.
 Replacement of lightings to energy savings LED for areas which includes the
lobby reception desks, lobby artwork, guest floor lift landing area, swimming pool
step lights, fountain lights, etc.
 Installation of motion sensor for lightings in the office restrooms, service areas,
etc.
 Appointed an Energy Policeman to inspect the hotel and record all violation on
energy wastages.
 Implementation of E-Payslip and E-Leave system to eliminate the use of paper.
 Installation of water flow regulator in the water taps to reduce water consumption.
(Scheduled for completion by 3Q 2011)

Other Information

The environmental awareness programmes or activities that are organized at

Shangri-La Singapore with external organizations.

Programme /Activity Collaborating Organisation Date Held

Carbon Footprint Shangri-La Hotel & Resort Corporate December 2010
Office
Beach Cleaning MINDS May 2011

Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore had won the following environmental-related awards

locally and internationally.

Title of Award Awarded by Year Awarded

ASEAN Green Hotel Standard ASEAN Tourism 2010
Tuas Power Green Program Tuas Power Ltd 2008
Energy Smart Hotel NEA 2007
REFERENCES

A Step-by-Step Guide to Help Hotels and Motels Manage Waste

Rhonda L. Sherman, Solid Waste Management Extension Specialist, North Carolina
cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University

Effective Waste Management in Massachusetts Hotels: Waste Prevention, Reuse

and Recycling, &
Lose Your Waste and Grow Your Profits: Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling for
Hotels,
Dan Ruben, Executive Director, Boston Green Tourism

Green Hotel Guide: 8 Step Recycling Program

EcoGreenHotel, May 2010

Guidebook on Waste Minimisation for Industries

National Environment Agency, Singapore, June 2006

How to Develop a Waste Prevention Program

New York City Department of Sanitation, New York City Department of
Environmental Protection, and Hotel Association, December 1995

Less Garbage Overnight – A Waste Prevention Guide for the Lodging Industry
John P. Winter and Sharene L. Azimi, INFORM, Inc. 1996

Recycling in Hotels and Motels - A Guide For Hotel and Motel Recycling Managers
University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, in cooperation with the Florida
Energy Office, Department of Community Affairs, Florida Department of
Environmental Protection
Keep Florida Beautiful and Florida Hotel and Motel Association, December 1993

Recycling for the Hospitality Industry – A Guide for Instituting Recycling Programs in
Hotel and Motel Properties
Thomas D. Potts, Joyce H. Christenbury, Francis J. Wolak, Cooperative Extension
Service Clemson University,

Recycling Guidebook for the Hospitality and Restaurant Industry

John Snarr, and Kim Pezza, Metropolitan Washinton Council of Government,
Department of Environmental Programs, April 2000

Waste Management/Prevention - Making Waste an Unwelcome Guest

Michigan government

WASTE REDUCTION IN HOTELS AND MOTELS - A Guide For Hotel and Motel
Managers
Georgia Hospitality Environmental Partnership, Mar 1996

How to Increase Your Bottom Line by Going Green

61
Dr Sonya Graci and Jacqueline Kuehnel, Green Hotels & Responsible Tourism
Initiative, http://green.hotelscombined.com

Food From the Heart

http://www.foodheart.org/

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