While food in the waste streams of most U.S. hotels accounts for about 25% of the hotel's total waste, food waste in Las Vegas accounts for up to 75% of the total waste stream. This is due largely to the buffet style dining offered in Las Vegas hotels. Buffets offer unlimited food for a relatively low price. Because hotels must prepare large amounts of food for this type of dining, and customers tend to take more than they can eat, a considerable amount of uneaten food must be discarded.
Although Las Vegas hotel waste was somewhat different from other hotels in the United States, the waste in Las Vegas restaurants has approximately the same composition as restaurants nationwide. Differences in waste composition in quick-service restaurants versus sit-down restaurants were similar in Las Vegas to other areas.
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT WASTE STREAMS
Hotels
The American Hotel and Motel Association (AHMA) estimates 25-30% of the total waste stream generated by the hotel industry is food waste (Calta 1995). Food waste typically consists of preparation waste, food trimmings, grease, off-the-plate discards, and surplus waste (food that cannot be sold to customers). Other waste materials include cardboard, which makes up approximately 25% of the waste, glass (4-6%), and aluminum and plastics (11-13% each). Factors that affect the amount of waste generated by a hotel include size of the hotel, number of guest rooms, rate of occupancy, and purchasing practices of the hotel. Larger hotels, in order to accommodate more guests, typically have more restaurants and guest rooms than smaller hotels; and as a result, generate more total waste per hotel.
Restaurants
The quantity and composition of waste generated by restaurants depend on the size of the restaurant, the type of restaurant (quick-service "fast food" or sit-down dining), the number of meals served, and whether or not it has a bar (Textile Rental 1993). Although both types of restaurants will generate cardboard, plastic, glass and food waste, waste composition from full service restaurants differs significantly from that of quick-food establishments [Figures 2 and 3].
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, quick-service ("fast food") restaurants tend to have higher proportions of paper and plastics in their waste streams than sit-down restaurants. This is due to the packaging used to serve most food at quick-service establishments. Food items are typically packaged in plastic containers or paper. Beverages are often served in paper cups with plastic lids; napkins and silverware are usually disposable paper and plastics. At quick-service restaurants, there is minimal food waste because most patrons do not eat at the restaurant. The majority of the food served in quick-service establishments is already prepared and ready for cooking or serving, so there is also little or no waste from food preparation (Rabasca 1993).
In contrast, restaurants with sit-down style dining, have nearly twice the proportion of food waste in their waste stream. Sit-down restaurants tend to prepare most menu items fresh and therefore have more preparation waste. Lettuce ends, egg shells, melon rinds, and garnishes are often found in the waste stream of these types of restaurants because the items are not already cleaned and prepared prior to being shipped to the restaurant.
The amount of glass also differs in sit-down and quick-service restaurants. While glass makes up only 1.1% of the waste in quick-service restaurants, this heavy material accounts for 10% of the waste in full-service restaurants with bars. Another difference in waste composition of sit-down style restaurants is in the proportions of plastic and paper. Because the majority of restaurants in this category use linen napkins and reusable dishes and silverware, they have significantly lower amounts of plastics and paper in their waste streams.
Sit-down restaurants tend to have relatively well structured waste generation systems (shipping, receiving, produce preparation areas, and dishwashing areas). Therefore, the restaurant sector is a logical place to phase in food waste collection programs (Newell and Markstahler 1993).
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