Waste not, want not. Some hotels and resorts aren’t trashing their trash, but breathing new life into beach debris, soap and plastic.

Souvenirs From the Sea 

Guests checking in at the luxury beachfront resort of Banyan Tree Krabi are reducing their carbon footprint on southern Thailand’s marine environment from the moment they arrive. Instead of the usual hotel “welcome pack”, visitors are presented with a novel tote bag that was created using upcycled waste washed up on local beaches.The “Souvenirs from the Sea” project is the brainchild of a local vendor who scours the shores around Krabi each morning, picking up debris and, with a keen artistic eye, selecting those items that can be cleaned, dried, and modified into safe, colorful, eco-friendly souvenirs for tourists.

Meliá Hotels in Vietnam are Giving a Second Life to Discarded Hotel Products 

Several Meliá hotels and resorts throughout Vietnam have launched upcycling initiatives from repurposing discarded soap to reprocessing plastic already in circulation. Through global cleaning and hygiene products manufacturer Diversey, Meliá is running a project called PlasticShreds, which converts single-use plastic into plastic chips that are then combined with other materials to be upcycled into a variety of uses, from new roads to badminton courts. Other projects, in partnership with Diversey, include Linens For Life and Soap for Hope. Both initiatives involve transforming materials such as leftover soap and old linen, into new (sterilized) soap bars and products for people in need, such as all-purpose bags, sleeping bags and soft toys for children, and school uniforms. 

Hotels on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Peninsula Unite to Upcycle Plastic Waste

Leading hotels on southern Vietnam’s idyllic Cam Ranh peninsula are tackling the scourge of plastic waste head on, working together to help establish a local plant that will upcycle all types of such waste, turning it into items like boxes, garden furniture and simple decorations. The “End Plastic Soup in Cam Ranh” campaign, spearheaded by Alma Resort and The Anam Cam Ranh and supported by 10 other resorts, kicked off with an extensive two-day beach clean-up in June. The weekend activity attracted around 300 volunteers from participating hotels, Vietnam’s Rotary Clubs and local schools, and approximately 1.5 tons of plastic were collected from the 15-kilometre-long Long Beach to be upcycled.