DoubleTree by Hilton Melbourne – Flinders Street’s war on waste

DoubleTree by Hilton Melbourne – Flinders Street is taking steps to combat the war on waste with a range of sustainable initiatives rolling out across the hotel. 

In an effort to repurpose food wastage, the hotel has partnered with the City of Melbourne’s Degraves Street Recycling Facility to divert all the kitchens food waste from landfill, which is equivalent to over 200kg per week. 

“We are delighted to be supporting the City of Melbourne’s ‘war on waste’ initiative as part of Hilton’s ongoing commitment to the environment and sustainability,” said Gary Lucas, the hotel’s general manager. 

“Having a world-class, innovative recycling centre just around the corner is an enormous benefit and we’re pleased that along with the other restaurants in our neighbourhood, we can make a significant impact to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill.” 

Niall Haran, coordinator at Degraves Street Recycling Facility, said was great to see a shift in attitude where companies want to take action on waste. 

“We see a lot of small cafes come on board which is always great, but it is particularly inspiring to see larger corporates such as Hilton get involved,” he said. 

“Their influence sets a new standard of environmental responsibility for hotels and larger brands across the country to follow. It shows that this movement crosses all boundaries and that working together as a community can make a real difference.” 

In addition to the food waste initiative, DoubleTree by Hilton Melbourne – Flinders Street has replaced plastic straws with paper straws (saving over 3000 straws per year from landfill), sell reusable coffee cups, grow a rooftop garden with herbs used in the restaurant kitchen and have launched a sustainable meetings package ‘Meet with purpose’, to offer clients a more sustainable and environmentally friendly event, focusing on healthy menu options and well-being extras such as yoga and mindfulness breaks. 

In May, Hilton committed to cutting its environmental footprint in half and doubling its social impact investment by 2030.

Sheridan Randall, 3^rd September 2018