Fourteen hotels were on Monday (Oct 24) recognised by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) for going the extra mile to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Three hotels - the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, the Mandarin Oriental Singapore and Marina Bay Sands - emerged tops in the biennial 3R Awards for Hotels, bagging the Distinction Award for their innovative approaches to minimise waste.

First-time recipient MBS, for example, installed five digesters on-site to treat food waste on its premises. MBS also donates excess dry food to a food redistribution organisation daily, and runs a campaign where S$1 is donated to charity for every clean plate returned at the staff cafeteria.

Mandarin Oriental received the Distinction Award for the second time. Among its green practices are using e-signatures for the approval of internal documents, and selling a swimwear range made with recycled plastics.

Eleven hotels received the Merit Award this year, including Concorde Hotel Singapore and Shangri-La Hotel Singapore.

NEW GUIDEBOOK LAUNCHED TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE

To reduce food waste in the hotel industry, NEA and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) also launched a new guidebook on Monday.

It offers a step-by-step guide on how retail food establishments can develop a food waste reduction plan tailored to their needs. Tips on how to do so through effective inventory management, good storage habits and recycling options are also provided.

The guidebook was launched by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Amy Khor, who was at the awards ceremony held at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore.

"Besides contributing to environmental sustainability and building a positive brand image as a responsible business operator, undertaking 3R measures can also reduce operating costs for hotels and appeal to the environmentally-conscious traveller," said Dr Khor.