Review Solid waste management in the hospitality industry: A review Sanaa I. Pirani, Hassan A. Arafat * Institute Center for Waterand Environment (iWater), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 54224, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates article info Article history: Received 21 April 2014 Received in revised form 23 July 2014 Accepted 26 July 2014 Available online 3 September 2014 Keywords: Waste management Food waste Hospitality industry Hotels Restaurants Ecolabels abstract Solid waste management is a key aspect of the environmental management of establishments belonging to the hospitality sector. In this study, we reviewed literature in this area, examining the current status of waste management for the hospitality sector, in general, with a focus on food waste management in particular. We specifically examined the for-profit subdivision of the hospitality sector, comprising pri- marily of hotels and restaurants. An account is given of the causes of the different types of waste encountered in this sector and what strategies may be used to reduce them. These strategies are further highlighted in terms of initiatives and practices which are already being implemented around the world to facilitate sustainable waste management. We also recommended a general waste management pro- cedure to be followed by properties of the hospitality sector and described how waste mapping, an innovative yet simple strategy, can significantly reduce the waste generation of a hotel. Generally, we found that not many scholarly publications are available in this area of research. More studies need to be carried out on the implementation of sustainable waste management for the hospitality industry in different parts of the world and the challenges and opportunities involved. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The hospitality industry in many parts of the world is expected to see significant rates of growth in the next few years. For example, Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) is expected to grow by 6% in 2014 in the United States (Berman, 2014) and by up to 5% in some European cities during 2014 and 2015 (Milburn and Hall, 2014). In the Middle East, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are expected to see a boom in hotel revenue by 2016, which implies a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.93% (MeetMiddleEast, 2013). Indeed, while exploring the various literature concerning the global outlook for the hospitality industry, it is clear that, in most parts of the world, this sector is recovering from its financial losses after the 2008 global economic crisis and “a positive outlook and favorable transaction climate are anticipated in 2014 for the global lodging industry” (Fishbin, 2014). This expansion in hospitality sector operations is complemented by an expansion in its waste management operations. More waste usually translates into a greater environmental footprint and therefore more harm to the ecosystem. For example, a hotel guest is estimated to generate up to 1 kg of waste per day on average (International Hotel Environmental Initiative, 2002), and this amounts to millions of tons of waste being generated worldwide annually. Therefore, the importance of studying the hospitality sector in order to facilitate more efficient waste management procedures cannot be overemphasized. In the late 1990s, generally speaking, establishments of the hospitality industry were not very concerned with their environ- mental impact and a sustainable way of dealing with their waste was not given much priority (Radwan et al., 2010). However, the current situation is very different. There is much more environ- mental awareness, which is clear from the booming number of ecolabels that are being used as a means of certification for many hospitality sector properties around the world. Most of these properties are getting certified voluntarily. This is also an indication of the heightened interest of guests/visitors in environmental is- sues. As a result, waste management processes adopted by many hotels and restaurants have changed from what they were 15 years ago and various waste reduction strategies are being implemented, including those which address food waste. In fact, with effective waste management, a mid-size hotel can produce one-fourth the waste generated by a similar hotel which is not implementing the same waste management strategies (WWF-UK and International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), 2005). For a hospitality business, the cost of solid waste management includes various factors such as the disposal and transport of waste, * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ971 2 810 9119; fax: þ971 2 810 9901. E-mail address: harafat@masdar.ac.ae (H.A. Arafat). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Environmental Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.07.038 0301-4797/© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Environmental Management 146 (2014) 320e336