An analysis of environmentally friendly waste management initiatives in hotels in Zimbabwe

Globally, the concept of sustainable development has been a buzzword for several years (Grossling et al, 2002). Although the hospitality sector has been for the larger part ignored and considered as having less negative impacts on the environment, recently, the sector has joined in the war against environmental degradation. The sector is integral in the development of tourism (Foster, 2002), operates on a daily basis and generates a large amount of waste (Bohdanowicz, 2005). The need to use environmentally friendly waste management methods cannot be overemphasized. In fact, Bohdanowcz (2005) discovered that 50% to 60% of waste generated in hotels can be recycled. The Zimbabwean hospitality sector plays a pivotal role in the tourism industry, which is a development sector of choice for Zimbabwe. This study used qualitative methods to assess the waste management strategies employed in 41 licensed hotels in Zimbabwe. The findings indicate that most Zimbabwean hotels have a policy on environment and waste disposal although the policies are being implemented at varied levels. It is concluded that the implementation of responsible waste management policies could improve if there were set benchmarks which affect the hotel's license renewal. This paper recommends that government polices be put in place to increase motivation for hotels to treat waste in a more responsible manner.