A HOTEL says it is recycling three tonnes more waste every month after taking the simple step of issuing guests with bags.

The Marsham Court Hotel installed reusable recycling bags in its 95 rooms in June after observing a growing number of guests dropping their recycling into collection bins at reception.

The bags, made of the vegetable fibre jute, are hung out on doors each morning for collection.

Marsham Court managing director Rosie Radwell said: “As a business we have been working hard to get the amount of waste we send to landfill to a minimum and our guests have shown us that they are also keen to do their bit.

“When we introduced recycling bins in our reception area last year we found people were actively bringing their recycling to us. So we added additional recycling bins to all floors.

“We have now taken this to another level by producing a jute recycling sack for each room which enables us to collect cardboard, paper and plastic on a daily basis.

“We recycled 86 per cent – nine tonnes – of our waste in July 2019, compared with 73 per cent – six tonnes – in the same period last year and we hope this figure will continue to grow.”

The average UK hotel guest generates about 1kg (2lb) of waste per night, more than half of it in paper, plastic and cardboard.

Recycling statistics are reported monthly by Bournemouth-based Waste Management Facilities.

The Marsham Court is also getting rid of environmentally damaging soap waste through a partnership with ethical brand Clarity & Co.

As an alternative to miniature plastic bottles, the hotel provides refillable dispensers of Clarity & Co’s juniper and seaweed shampoo and bodywash, which is produced by blind and disadvantaged workers.

The brand’s unwrapped naked soap bars have also recently been introduced, along with stickers explaining how the enterprise is tackling disability underemployment in the UK.

Rosie Radwell added: “Tiny shampoo bottles might seem luxurious, but according to cleanconscience.org.uk, a shocking 200 million soap and shower gel miniatures are dumped from UK hotels into landfill each year.

“All our guests are offered the chance to use the Clarity products in return for a £1 charge on their bill, which is reinvested straight back into the charity.

“The Marsham Court is incredibly proud to be the first three-star hotel in the country to use these Clarity & Co products and we hope other hospitality providers will now follow suit.”