Case Study – Maximising profit through waste reduction - St Brides Spa Hotel

The Challenge

St Brides Spa Hotel is a beautiful hotel based in an idyllic setting in Pembrokeshire and is host to thousands of visitors a year. Owner, Andrew Evans, called in Green Gain to help them increase profitability by minimising waste and improving resource efficiency. Green Gain’s support was funded by WRAP Cymru, a support programme to help businesses reap the benefits of reducing waste, developing sustainable products and using resources in an efficient way. An initial audit of St Brides Spa Hotel, carried out by Green Gain, found that 97 tonnes of waste were being generated annually costing the business over £22,000. Over 45% of the waste stream was made up of food waste and their recycling rate was at nine per cent. The existing waste segregation and management system maintained an over reliance on landfill at excessive cost to the business.

With this in mind, the Green Gain team worked with the business to develop a strategy to reduce the quantities being generated and to target key waste streams for better management.

The Solution

Based on an intensive review of existing operations, interviews with staff and compositional waste analysis across the hotel and its two satellite restaurants, Green Gain provided a series of prioritised and costed recommendations. These demonstrated the potential environmental and economic gains that could be achieved from waste reduction and improved waste management.

These included:

•  Separating glass, food waste, and mixed dry recyclables for recycling and processing into new           products;

•  Engaging the supply chain on packaging take back systems;

•  Introducing portion size options for chips at the fish restaurants;

•  Investing in vacuum packing and blast chilling equipment in the kitchens to help preserve                   ingredients;

•  Outsourcing some food preparation to third party sources;

The Outcome

St Brides Spa Hotel is now in the process of implementing the recommendations and as part of this process, is applying for capital grant support for £6,000 from WRAP to help source the equipment to implement the highest priority measures recommended in this report. Green Gain is assisting in preparing the application. Once the actions have been implemented, the anticipated annual savings are estimated to be:

•  67tpa diverted from landfill;

•  95tpa of carbon avoided;

•  Over £10,000 of savings in waste management and procurement costs.

Andrew Evans, Managing Director for St Brides Spa Hotel said: “Since taking over the business, it has been our ambition to refurbish and reposition St Brides Spa Hotel from a tired ‘seaside hotel’ to a leading award winning destination Spa Hotel.

“The ambition also extends to our environmental impact. We aim to act as a leading example within South Wales of a business that combines high-growth with environmental sustainability. Our work with WRAP Wales and Green Gain on managing our resources more efficiently is a huge step in the right direction.”

Steven Ogden of Green Gain said: “St Brides Spa Hotel has demonstrated the financial and environmental benefits that can be realised from a pro-active approach to waste prevention and management. By employing Green Gain’s expertise in this area, the business will be able to continue to increase profit margins and drive down costs, whilst demonstrating its environmental credentials to customers.”