A zero waste management model for small hotels: a case study in the Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan Surat Thani

Abstract

This thesis aimed to examine the situation of waste management problems encountered by small hotels by focusing on investigating the causes of waste generation and on reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering the waste in order to minimize the waste to be finally disposed of by means of incineration/landfill, which is appropriate based on the prioritization of zero waste management. There were three research questions: (1) what are the factors in the zero waste management of small hotels? (2) What is the best practice in the zero waste management? and (3) What is the effectiveness of the zero waste management model of small hotels?

The researcher found that there are eight factors involved with the zero waste management of small hotels and each of them is related to each other, but their priorities are different: (1) employee cooperation in waste management, (2) waste management methods, (3) hotel owners/managers contributing to waste management, (4) hotel’s regulations contributing to waste management, (5) waste management expenses, (6) hotel’s locations, (7) customers, and (8) seasons contributing to waste management. In addition, the researcher found that employee cooperation in waste management is a factor that well supports the waste management if these employees are willingly to provide their cooperation, but it will be a factor that obstructs the waste management if they do not provide their cooperation.

There are four steps of zero waste management. Firstly, “Plan: P” of zero waste management (PZWM) is to set the waste management policy by hotel owners/managers and includes both planning and implementing the policy. Secondly, “Do: D” is based on 4Rs starting with introducing environmentally friendly products in the hotels (reduction of waste). When such products have been completely utilized at their highest benefits in the hotels, they will become four types of waste: food waste, recyclable waste, non- recyclable waste, and toxic waste, and then they are classified by type to re-utilize them again by means of reusing, recovering and recycling based on its properties. Thirdly, “Check: C” is to define a checking method in writing and to report the result to the hotel management that will determine improvement measures. Finally, “Action: A” is to schedule an appropriate meeting time that can solve the problem of implementing the action plans and the meeting agenda are recorded and then implemented in the PDCA cycle. All issues concerned with the effectiveness of the zero waste management model were accepted by actual users and were appropriate in four views: finance, customers, process, and development and learning.

The contributions of this study can be separated into as part, The academic contribution and managerial contributions. The first contribution is concerned with the factors supporting the waste management, especially employee cooperation in which they are willing to do so and have a good habit of environmental conservation that can be applied in their daily life as an expectation of the community. Secondly, the process of zero waste management of small hotels can be used as an example of actions. Thirdly, this study serves as a guideline for to true research with regard to hotel management to in crease environmental friendship in other aspects, such as wastewater, energy, and noise pollution. In addition, there are managerial contribution. Firstly, a good waste management of hotels can help reduce expenses and decrease income. Secondly, the zero waste management of hotels can be applied with other types of service businesses, such as spa business. Finally, employee cooperation in waste management can be created as a habit in their daily life.