A record 31 Macao hotels and guesthouses won accolades in the latest edition of the Macao Green Hotel Awards. The results were unveiled in June by the Macao SAR Government Environmental Protection Bureau.
The awards took reference to the venues’ environmental performance in 2019. No award presentation ceremony was held this year, due to measures to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak in the city.
According to the Environmental Protection Bureau, all awarded properties made significant improvements in 2019 regarding waste reduction and recycling, food waste management, and reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Some properties introduced advanced technologies to reduce negative impacts on the environment from their operations.
A total of eight hotels won gold awards in the latest edition of the Macao Green Hotel Awards, marking a year-on-year increase of five awardees.
An aggregate of 11 hotels received silver awards and six got bronze awards. Two hotels received merit awards, while four guesthouses each had their environmental performance recognised via an award.
Macao has now a total of 56 hospitality properties with a valid Macao Green Hotel Award, or about half of all hotels and guesthouses in the city. Awards are valid for three years.
Almost 75 percent of all properties with a valid Macao Green Hotel Award have food waste collection programmes. About half have their own food waste treatment equipment.
All current Macao Green Hotel awardees promote recycling: recyclable materials collected at local hotels and budget accommodation include paper, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and used batteries. In 2019, a total of 8,300 tonnes of recyclable materials was collected, up by 26 percent from 2018.
Data from the Environmental Protection Bureau show average utility consumption per guestroom at hotels and guesthouses with a valid Macao Green Hotel Award has decreased significantly between 2012 and 2019. Average electricity consumption declined by 37 percent during the period, while average water consumption was down by 30 percent.
The Green Hotel Award programme is organised by the Environmental Protection Bureau, with the collaboration of the Macao Government Tourism Office. The programme was launched in 2007, and seeks to emphasise the importance of environmental management in the hotel sector, and to honour establishments that have reduced consumption of utilities’ services and reduced waste.
The programme is supported by the Macao Hoteliers and Innkeepers Association, the Macau Hotel Association, the Macao Productivity and Technology Transfer Center and the Macao Hotel Employees Association.
Applications for the upcoming edition of the Macao Green Hotel Award programme run from 15 July to 31 August. More information is available at http://www.dspa.gov.mo/h_index.aspx#.