Very Un-Green Hotel Amenities: 3 items, 4 pieces of packaging

Hotel amenities (soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc.) can be extremely wasteful and one of the biggest wastes comes from packaging.

For instance, at a recent Sheraton stay I found this Bliss Shine “Vanity Kit” waiting for me in the bathroom along with the usual soaps and shampoo. Check out the contents:

So as you can see, the “vanity kit” is make of up several components:

• 1 post board box, clearly not recycled, containing
  • 1 plastic bag containing
    • 2 cotton balls
    • 2 more plastic bags containing
      • 1 emery board
      • 2 q-tips

The end result is: 3 items (q-tips, emery board, cotton balls) wrapped in 4 different packages!

How could Sheraton make this more environmentally friendly?

1. Only give this kit out as requested, rather than placing it in every room
2. Ditch the box
3. Ditch the two bags inside the main plastic bag

The end product would be one bag holding 3 items (resulting in 3 fewer packages), given only to people who need it. Not only would this decrease excess packaging resulting in lower packaging costs, it would also reduce the amount of space needed to transport these items.

Recommended Reading:

1. 5 Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Favorite Green Traveler
2. 5 Tips for Camping Green with Your Dog
3. 13 Tips for Meeting Other Green Travelers
4. Is the Apple MacBook Air a Good Green Travel Laptop?
5. Finding Environmentally Friendly Hotels through Green Accreditation Directories