The big bin dive at The Victoria – three months on…

May 18, 2026 | The Victoria | 2 minute read

Back in February, Managing Director Ben  threw himself (not literally!) into our Bin Dive and sifted through a weeks’ worth of waste to see where we could cut down on the amount we were sending to landfill. Three months on and alterations have been made across the whole hotel, with management and team members finding solutions and alternatives in every department. Below are a few of the changes we have made in the last few months:

• The kitchen and restaurant/bar teams have replaced blue roll for brown roll – a chemical free, compostable alternative used to wipe down spills and dry hands. Additionally, the quantity of brown roll has reduced as the kitchen team are utilising washable re-usable kitchen cloths.

• The kitchen and housekeeping teams have halved the number of sponges that were ending up in landfill. They achieved this by – well – literally cutting them in half: two sponges for the impact of one!

• The kitchen team have also replaced plastic piping bags for cloth re-usable ones, purchased compostable gloves, and eradicated the use of bin liners all together! A massive win for reduction of plastic in general waste!

• Inspired by the kitchens zero-bin liner accomplishment, housekeeping are in the process of replicating this success in the bedrooms.

• In the general hotel areas, the use of paper-towels (though recyclable) has been drastically reduced by the implementation of hand dryers in the public bathrooms.

In addition, we have continued to review products used, consider if we can eradicate them all together, and if not, tried to source compostable or recyclable equivalents. This is an ongoing process, and as new products emerge onto the market, sustainably conscious guests provide their feedback, and the management team do their research, there is no doubt that we at The Vic will continue our waste-reduction efforts – one item at a time.