British-owned American brand of hotels Holiday Inn has announced that it will stop offering the tiny toiletries in more than 5,600 hotels. The announcement was made on July 30, 2019 and added that it is working on reducing its plastic waste. Holiday Inn and InterContinental Hotels (IHG) said that about 843,000 rooms are switching to bulk dispensers, ceramic containers and refillable bottles for all the bathroom products.
The company says that it hopes to complete its planned transition by 2021 in an effort to keep the plastic waste out of the oceans. The InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Keith Barr in a press release said, “Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change”. Barr also informed that one-third of the IHG properties have already made the switch and added, “We’re passionate about sustainability and we’ll continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities”.
The IHG distributes 200 million miniature bathroom products across its hotels every year. It is also employing many efforts to reduce waste overall, including removing plastic straws by the end of 2019. Despite the global efforts to curb the problem, the plastic use is expected to increase through the next decade as the oil and petroleum companies double down on petrochemical production.
Many of the environmental activists say that the US must halt plastic production altogether. Meanwhile the scientists are also warning about the increasing dangers of plastic waste in the oceans, as the waste goes in to the marine food chain. Recycling is just a partial solution as most of the products cannot be recycled. A large amount of plastic has been found in the dead sea animals in recent years.
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