Does It Matter To You?
 

I work at a resort hotel, and have been working with a few others to find ways to help the environment. I recently found out that many hotels throw out all the toilet paper in the room (after a guest checks out)that no longer has the original wrapping around it. In other words, every new guest gets a fresh roll, regardless if the old roll is still full or not.

I haven't really formed an opinion on this yet, so I wanted to get YOUR feedback. As a guest, would you care if the TP roll wasn't brand new?

However politically incorrect this may sound, yes it matters to me. I'd like a fresh TP roll please. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

I'm fine with a half-used roll since i'm sure that is the standard practice at many of the hotels i've stayed in over the years and realize we are talking about the enviroment. I would think that with the notices about turning off the lights and other things most hotel room notices have these days that at least if they do this they donate to local shelters or or other family assist groups. Until now I've never really even thought about it or even noticed, but you can bet that i'll look come Saturday night when I'm in a hotel up in minneapolis. However, the corners must still be turned up.....

There is a distinct difference between this and used soap......

[This message has been edited by Randy Petersen (edited 03-21-2002).]

I think Randy has a great idea for "replacement" hotels to donate the partially used rolls to needy local charities.

Alternatively, you could take your used roll with you and finish it off at home, offsetting the waste.

Or, you could try and send people on an Outward Bound trip, where they emphasis using tiny amounts of toilet paper each time you need some.

Interesting ... my son started a club called Earth Team at his school. They've done a lot of recycling/reuse-type projects around the community and this sounds like a good one for them to get involved in by calling local hotels and seeing if they can't get their half-full rolls to recycle by donating to shelters and such. Thanks for the info. The club he started at his school is actually part of a worldwide organization - maybe he can put the word out and get students all over involved in this.

Up to *** accomodations, used rolls are fine. A nice touch would be to 'peel off the outside layer' and fold the first square to indicate basic hygiene was considered.

In more luxurious hotels, new rolls would be expected. Having used ones reused elsewhere is the environmentally right thing to do. In less affluent countries I have been to, I sometimes get the feeling the housekeeping staff naturally does so...

I once did so, after a weekend trip to London while working out of Lille in northern France, but for different reasons; my French aparthotel had awful TP, and the London version seemed oh-so-soft...

Unfortunately, my nearly empty bag was selected for a 'random check' at Waterloo Station upon boarding the Eurostar.

The security agent broke into a large smile while two of my coworkers were hovering around. 'Just in case, uh?', said he. How embarrassing!

This is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It doesn't make any difference to the environment. The energy used to go to the trouble of doing something with the used rolls (if the housekeeping staff isn't interesting in using it in their own home) offsets the small savings.

Instead of using nuclear energy, we've still got electric power plants burning coal (Bush doesn't give a rip), and you're worried about toilet paper?! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by JS (edited 03-21-2002).]

I actually never thought about this, but I do not think I would mind if there was a partial roll of toilet paper. I agree that the top layer should be take off and folded, but it seems really wasteful to throw it away.

When I was travelling to India back in the 80's, I always took enough to last for a month, and kept it locked in my suitcase at all times.

Not really on topic, but worth a smile. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif

In public restrooms we all use the same roll so I guess it would be ok in hotel rooms too. I've never noticed this before. Do all hotels throw out the roll? Even after one night & only a few squares gone? No wonder rates are high!

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. We would not think twice about it in a public restroom, so why should it bother us in a hotel room.

While I believe I understand your point, it is not true.

Having done volunteer work for shelters and food depositories, a large bin is placed at the hotel. Used rolls are placed in the bin.
Once the bin nears being full, the shelter comes and picks up the bin in their van. The van is driven by a non-paid volunteer so really the only major cost is the $ for gas.
This bin filled w/50-70 rolls easily offsets the gas $. Sometimes the "used" shampoo is taken as well.

Having "used" rolls from the hotel used this way also prevents them from just filling landfills.

When I think about real waste, I can only think of cruise ships. I watched a program on cruise ships on TLC a few nights ago and they went into detail about the thousands and thousands of pounds of fruit, bread, chicken, eggs, paper products, etc which go on each ship before each trip. I just kept pondering about the amount of waste each of these city-like vessels creates on each cruise. I wonder if they make any effort to give away excess food supplies to shelters or organizations which cater to the needs of the poor. Sorry I've gone out on a tangent, but this thread got me re-thinking about it.

I think there is waste everywhere. I remember when I was in high school I worked part time in a bakery. Every morning they would throw away left over donuts,cookies,bread,rolls and cakes. I once said to the manager "Why can't you donate these things to a local shelter or some other place" and his response was "The company does not want to take the chance someone will get sick" so they throw it all away.
It isn't like these things were weeks old, only a day old. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif

I think you hit the nail on the head, pointsgirl. Perhaps the bakery was concerned about lawsuits. I wonder if a bakery or a cruise ship were to donate excess food to shelters or other non profit groups would they be held liable if someone who ate the food were to have gotten ill? Perhaps the risk of lawsuits and the heavy damages trial lawyers go after remove all incentives for businesses to do the right thing concerning food donations. Just a thought.


[This message has been edited by Analise (edited 03-22-2002).]

In Europe the industry that recycled restaurants leftovers into animal feed (by turning it into a foul-smelling but nutritious goop) was broadsided by new regulations restricting the practice after the mad cow/scrapie scare.

And where did I just read that South Korea threw out more food last year than produced in one year in North Korea?

There is waste all over the world. From a logistics point of view, the easiest way to minimize waste is to match supply to demand, and optimize packaging (in the present case, this would mean smaller and more TP rolls if going the 'new' route; to reduce TP consumption, installing those very effective Japanese toilets with cleaning function).
In my experience, this is hardest to implement with private households (tried to no avail with family), and easiest with large-scale entities with predicable needs (school cafeteria with fixed menus, chemical factory with one product, etc.)

Presumably a resort, catering to affluent individuals on vacation, would have a hard time predicting demand, and have to keep a large inventory of partially perishable goods.


Getting back to the economic argument, there is a distinction between economically viable and environmentally responsible. German carmakers have pledged to take back and recycle their used vehicles; surely they are not making € from this, but I laud them for not sending more non-renewable resources to the landfill.

My sister & brother-in-law own a bread bakery & they always donate their leftover bread every night. They bake fresh everyday & if they overestimate their needs sometimes there is a lot of bread being donated & I'm sure they don't worry about someone geting sick anymore than they worry about someone who buys the bread getting sick.

I used to work for an eccomerce in 2000 when every company was worth tens of millions of dollars. This company would have their rolls thrown out everyday it was crazy. Some employees were furious.

You are correct that used to be the reason why businesses did not donate goods. Now, almost all states have laws protecting businesses from the lawsuits you speak to.

I think there is much less waste of foodl on a cruise ship then you would think. Wednesday night the dining room may be serving prime rib, the next day beef stew at the buffet, then beef something soup the next day. I think anything they don't serve just keeps getting used and used until it's all gone, that very little of it goes to waste. Once the fruit starts looking a bit tattered (not saying it's spoiled, just looking a bit old) it gets cooked into the tarts and other desserts. If you are at the end of a two week cruise where they don't add fruit at every port (asy on the last few days of the southbound in Alaska) you will notice the more easily ruined vegetables and fruits aren't available anymore, but all of a sudden the buffet will be full of Banana Cream Pies.

That was very interesting, Cordelli. Thanks for including that. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

That is good to know. It was such a waste to see all that food go into the trash.

Call me a wasteful American if you must, but usually better hotels have a second roll of toilet paper (as a spare) in the bathroom and I generally open it up and use it.

Having lived in SE Asia, believe me, I'm no hygiene freak, but at the same time, if I'm paying for a nice hotel room -- I want my own roll of TP.

I have no problem with a partially-used roll, but I always remove at least one or 2 go-rounds from the outside before I will start using it.

With regard to food waste, in my community I know of two volunteer organizations that collect all the day-old bakery products from grocers and other markets as well as produce that's on the edge to distribute to seniors and low-income single parents.

Well, that is probably very common. I know I do this in public restrooms.

While I cring at the thought of referring to a half empty roll as used TP, I would hope that most people could tell the difference between clean TP and not clean. If the roll has been used by a previous guest and there is no evidence of prior guest placing the soiled paper back on the roll, why not simply do as several other posters have suggested and tear off a few sheets and go on about your business. I'd much rather see the time hotels spend replacing TP rolls be spent cleaning the previous guests hairs off the bathroom floor. But that's another topic altogether.

As long as the staff did the little "V" fold on a partiall used roll - I would not care.

Although, I know peoiple expect more from luxury hotels. Perhaps someone could invent a "reroller" to cutdown on the obvious waste of good rolls.

That is what I was saying. I do not care if there is a half empty roll of TP in the hotel room. I was simply saying that when I go into a public restroom I always...ALWAYS...remove some of the sheets before I use it.

This TP discussion has gotten lengthier than I thought ...

I've noticed that some hotels start one out with what appears to be a full roll. However, in case of distress, there is a partial one available as well.

On a related note, I use sealable small plastic bags to bring home the used soap bar. Throwing one away is a waste; yes, I can afford my own. I've heard some hotels have dispensers - I'd be for that.