Hyatt Regency Maui (HRM) began working on reducing its waste footprint during its LEED Certification process in 2013. HRM was awarded LEED Silver in 2014 and LEED Gold in 2019. In 2018, HRM began actively working to become a zero waste resort. In October 2020, HRM was awarded the USGBC TRUE Zero Waste Precertification.
Some of the diversion strategies that HRM incorporated included: 1) adding recycling bins to all of the hotel rooms; 2) implementing a 3 bin waste system in all common areas across the resort; 3) contracting with local pig farms to pick up food waste since Maui does not have a commercial composting facility; 4) working with the restaurant chefs to decrease portion sizes; and 4) conducting multiple physical waste audits to better understand the composition of the waste stream.
Between 2019 and 2020, HRM undertook a full resort renovation and committed to diverting as much as possible from the landfill. Used furnishings, artwork, beds, and more were donated or liquidated. Over 350 cast iron tubs were refurbished. Metal parts from the air conditioner units, aluminum railings, and the aluminum on sliding glass doors were recycled to the local metals recycling company. Copper piping was salvaged by a local commercial plumbing company. In total, over 2500 tons of waste was diverted from the landfill.
Given the limited options for diverting waste on a small remote island in the Pacific, HRM is proud of its efforts and hopes to continue sharing its waste diversion strategies with other island resort communities.
"Living and working on a small remote island requires us to be vigilant about our environmental impacts on land and in the water," explains Gary Bulson, Director of Engineering and Specialist. "At Hyatt Regency Maui, we are committed to providing model examples of strategies for reducing our waste impacts and ensuring long-term sustainability for our island community."