Croatia launches pilot project urging hotels to reduce food waste

“Reduce food waste, cook for your guests” will benefit both the environment and business

On 7 July, the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced that it has presented a pilot project entitled “Reduce food waste, cook for your guests” at the Park Plaza Histria Hotel in Pula. This project has been created in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Faculty of Geotechnics from the University of Zagreb, and the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency.

Environmental impact of hotels

During the presentation of this project, the Deputy Director of the Fund Alenka Košiša Čičin-Šain explained that hotels are one of the most important stakeholders in tourism; what is more, their operations have a significant impact on our environment. For this reason, they must reform their way of doing business and turn to more sustainable methods.

Košiša Čičin-Šain further commented on the project’s aims noting: “We have been dealing with waste management in the Fund for years. Croatia has obligations that it must achieve in accordance with EU and national legislation, so by 2022, it is necessary to collect 40% of the mass of produced biowaste separately. This pilot project is aimed at reducing food waste, but also at proper separate collection and disposal of waste.”

What are the goals of the project?

Through “Reduce food waste, cook for your guests” the aforementioned bodies seek to encourage both staff and guests to be mindful of the way their actions impact the environment. More specifically, hotel guests must be inspired to correct their eating habits so that they do not fill their plates with more food than they are planning to consume. In this way and with these simple actions, people can contribute to the significant reduction of food waste.

Maja Feketić from the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency further highlighted that hotels from other countries have taken up similar projects, achieving a 30% reduction of food waste. Feketić notes that this will not only help reduce the negative impact on the environment but it will also result in large financial savings.

The “Reduce food waste, cook for your guests” pilot project will take place during the summer until the end of September in two Croatian hotels in Pula and Osijek. After September, its results will be made public so that people can understand how simple actions can make a difference.