Hotel linens are either kept for cleaning or recycled but most are thrown away. But a new nonprofit agency says they can mean big savings.
Hotel Industry Partnership for Pets (H.I.P.) wants them donated to local animal shelters. The effort was started by Scott Chapman.
Can there actually be significant savings by donating used linens and towels to animal shelters?
Chapman says savings amount to seven percent and provide a “big sustainability win” for hotel operators seeking to expand green initiatives.
A 500-room hotel could discard up to 1,500 towels per quarter, Chapman says.
H.I.P. for Pets makes linen donation easy by matching hotels with the nearest one of 8,200 prescreened animal shelters through the organization’s online database.
The website also solicits donations of leftover cleaning supplies, hand soap, shampoo and conditioner and used wine corks, newspapers, blankets and even empty toilet paper rolls.
"By donating used materials, hotels can provide what shelters cannot always afford: soft bedding and towels to dry animals after their baths," Chapman said.
By David Wilkening
