Case Study: Ramada Ajman and waste

The smallest emirate in the UAE, Ajman, dumps 600 tonnes of waste on landfills every day — an alarming number. However, Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman general manager Iftikhar Hamdani reveals how he reduced the waste from his hotel by 90%, and his plans to involve other hoteliers across the emirate in his eco–friendly drive.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

“A couple of years ago, I asked my chef and housekeeper: ‘How much waste are we throwing every day?’ One said 100kg, the other 200kg, and someone else said 350kg. They were all assumptions; no one knew for sure. So I decided to weigh it.”

Everyone was surprised when the scale showed an astounding 950kg. The revelation propelled Hamdani to devise measures to cut down the wastage and create sustainable operations. But soon he realised there were too many other aspects that needed his attention, and this was all in addition to routine operations and management. From excessive electricity usage to daily printing of hefty reports that nobody read beyond the summary, he had his work cut out for him.

“The kitchen produces 60% of the wastage. The oil wasn’t being recycled and a lot of food, untouched, was going in the bin. Something had to be done,” he says.

PLANNING & INVESTMENT

Hamdani focused on education. He spoke to all the staff members personally, held weekly meetings to monitor the progress and assess the measures undertaken to reduce waste, and marked earth day, earth hour and other such days to create awareness. This also acted as a reminder and reinforcement for the team and community at large.

“These steps were a good start but like AIMS Environment general manager Harbinder Singh said, we needed to do something substantial about the waste from the kitchen to really make an impact. He suggested we get GreenGood composter. We started researching, spoke to people and hoteliers who were using it, and they all said it was excellent and works.”

The Korean machine alone costed approximately AED 226,000 (US $61,500), and then there were additional costs involved. “I got sponsorship from different parties for this machine. Even the room that the machine is placed in was sponsored by a construction company, and so was the branding around it. For the hotel, it was free.”

IN PRACTICE

“We were the first in the Middle East to have bought this machine. Since then, 25 different places, including HH Sheikh Mohammed’s Zabeel Palace, have bought the same machine. They came and saw it running, and knew that it worked,” says Hamdani.

GreenGood composter turns food waste into refined fertiliser, which is then used in the hotel’s own garden and also supplied to nearby villas and palaces. “Kitchen segregates the waste; the compost only gets the organic waste, like peel of tomatoes, food, bones, even tissues, and that goes in the machine. If we put 50kg of waste in it, 90% will evaporate as it’s water and the remaining 10% will be the solid compost.”

To further curtail food wastage, which increased another 30% during Ramadan 2015, Hamdani advised the team to liaise with the front office to get a real picture instead of cooking for all the hotel occupants. “We have a shuttle service from the hotel to Dubai Mall. If 100 people have taken the shuttle service, they are not likely to be there for lunch or dinner. This helped bring down the wastage.”

With 60% of the waste from the kitchen sorted, the remaining 40% comprised 30% recyclable items like glass, metal, etcetera, collected by Green Mountains, and 10% waste that could neither be reused or recycled, and ended up on the landfill. “We are still throwing the 10% of this one tonne on the landfill, and we are thinking of ways to reduce it further as the aim is 0% on landfill.”

Besides using the machine, Hamdani has introduced some other effective ways to manage waste. Suppliers, especially for vegetables, are discouraged to bring supplies in cartons; instead, they are provided baskets to use.

In addition, different coloured dustbins are placed across the hotel to help segregate waste in the initial stage, thereby decreasing the workload for hotel staff.

THE RESULTS

Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman took the initiative, and became a case study for hoteliers and corporates to follow. Not only that, since it purchase GreenGood in 2012, it has managed to save AED 360,000 ($98,000) in three years. “We were paying AED 120,000 ($32,670) per annum for waste collection. Now, we don’t need it.”

In addition, the team has used a small empty lot within the hotel parameters and turned it into a garden, where the hotel’s chef harvests rocca, okra, basil, tomatoes and mint leaves.

Hamdani continues: “Business has increased because people know that we are a responsible hotel. There is a commercial gain for the owners and it is appreciated by the community as well. Also, we have a staff turnover of only 2% because we take care of them, and they enjoy being a part of sustainable operations.”

Currently, the hotel gives away all its untouched food to Al Ihsan Charity Association, which is distributed amongst some families and labour camps in Ajman. Going forward, Hamdani wants to be able to do it on their own. “Al Ihsan cannot take care of all the hotel as it has limited facilities. I want to create a committee and have people on our payroll who will be responsible for it. We will have proper buffets in Ajman labour camps; we will start with our two hotels and go on to include other 5–star hotels as well. There is a banqueting facility that can host more than 2000 people. They have already agreed to come on board and give away their food once we are ready. We will establish the committee this winter, and start with our own hotels. Next year, we will involve others as well.”

Ramada, however, isn’t nearly done and has extensive plans to establish itself as an eco–friendly hotel in the future. It is looking into ways to recycle approximately 6000 gallons of water that is wasted every day at its laundry. It has also decided to design its new hotel as an eco–friendly property and is on its way to earn the Green Globe certification.

The hotel has been visited by many hotels and corporates, including Al Maha Resort, Banyan Tree, Atlantis, Cove Rotana, Emirates Airlines, Abu Dhabi Agriculture Authority, a delegation from government of Ras al Khaimah and Dubai Municipality, who came to see the machine function and some have already installed it at their premises. “My idea is to continue to create awareness as we need to involve many more people, unless the government introduces some kind of a regulation. And corporates need to come forward as they can do a lot,” Hamdani concludes.