A hotel in Antalya has become the first tourism facility in Turkey to implement a zero-waste project by using onion and orange peels in soups and desserts. Drawing attention with its innovative practices, this hotel has taken an exemplary step by also receiving the orange flag, which aims to prevent waste. Here are the details of our Antalya Hotels Reduce Waste news…
A hotel in Antalya that pioneered a zero-waste project is breaking new ground in the use of kitchen waste. The hotel management, who said, “We are the first tourism facility to implement a zero-waste project in Antalya, and we received the certificate from the ministry,” emphasizes Emine Hanım’s leadership and inspiration in this regard. The hotel management points out that all hotels need to conduct in-depth studies on this issue and states that the orange flag, which symbolizes preventing waste, should be made mandatory.
Chef Halil Gokmenoglu,touches on the importance of offering both delicious and sustainable products to guests. Stating that drying has an important place in Turkish culinary tradition, Gökmenoğlu adds, “We started drying some vegetable and fruit peels and turning them into food, bread and dessert. It turned out very well. We both increased the flavor and contributed to the economy.” Stating that they dry various vegetable and fruit peels and use them as spices, Gökmenoğlu emphasizes that this practice both increases the flavor and contributes to the economy.
ANTALYA (AA) – HATICE OZDEMIR TOSUN –In a hotel in Antalya that aims to contribute to recycling and reduce waste, vegetable and fruit peels are transformed for reuse in the hands of master chefs.
The Zero Waste Project, which was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wife Emine Erdoğan, is also becoming widespread in hotels where consumption is high in the “all-inclusive” system. Hotel managements that want to prevent waste are taking various precautions without compromising quality.
A hotel in Antalya has been reducing waste and enriching its meals with different methods they have been using in the kitchen for about 6 years.
Hakan Saatçioğlu, President of the Professional Hotel Managers Association and General Coordinator of Limak HotelsHe told AA that they started working in 2018 and that they are reducing the amount of waste with different practices every day.
Explaining that they are working on evaluating the waste of materials used in the kitchen on the one hand and minimizing the waste returned from plates on the other, Saatçioğlu said, “Our masters have conducted research on how to evaluate products that can be consumed but go to waste. We have seen that products that can be consumed healthily go to waste. We have taken steps to prevent this. We have saved 30 percent in the amount of waste in the kitchen since 2018.”
Saatcioglu, noted that they implemented awareness-raising practices within the hotel to minimize the waste returned from plates. Saatçioğlu, who stated that they raise awareness of waste with signs at the entrance, said that they also left signs in the restaurant regarding zero waste and waste.
Saatçioğlu stated that consumption was high in the first couple of days but lower in the following days, and that European guests were more experienced and conscious in this regard.
Stating that there is more waste in the all-inclusive system, Saatcioglu“According to our studies, the average amount of waste on a plate in a normal hotel is 30 grams, while in an all-inclusive, this amount is 250 grams. When you multiply 250 grams by 1,000 people, it makes 250 kilos. When you consider 30 days, it makes 7 tons. Every month, we unfortunately have to throw away 7 tons of carefully prepared meals.” he said.
Stating that everyone should do their part to ensure that tourism is sustainable, Saatçioğlu said:
“We are the first tourism facility to implement a zero waste project in Antalya, and we received the certificate from the ministry. Ms. Emine was a pioneer in this regard, she opened our eyes, and we made great progress. All hotels also need to conduct in-depth studies on this issue. The orange flag, which symbolizes preventing waste, must definitely be made mandatory.”
– Onion peels for soup, orange peels for desserts
The hotel’s chef, Halil Gökmenoğlu, also stated that while they offer delicious products to their guests, they also work to prevent waste.
Explaining that drying has an important place in Turkish culinary tradition and that even meat was preserved by drying in the past, Gökmenoğlu said:
“We started drying some vegetable and fruit peels and turning them into food, bread and desserts. It turned out very well. We both increased the flavor and added value to the economy. The nutritional value of most vegetables and fruits is in the peel. We started using them as spices by drying them. We dry the peels of many vegetables and fruits, especially potatoes, onions, melons, watermelons and oranges. We use onion peels in soups and make bread. We make detox products from melon, watermelon peels and parsley stalks. We use orange peels in desserts, it gives color and aroma. We turn all of them into flavor.”
Gökmenoğlu noted that by recycling vegetables and fruits, they offer healthier and more flavorful products to their guests and prevent consumable vegetables and fruits from going to waste.
– Discount for guests who finish their plate
The hotel’s quality manager, Hasan Çetin, said that they included guests in the system to reduce the waste coming back from the plates.
Çetin, who explained that they offer attractive opportunities while raising awareness about waste, stated that they offer various discounts on hotel expenses in return for the commitment made by the guests and that this offer appealed to them.
Çetin also stated that they separate the food that goes to waste from guests’ plates at the source and deliver it to stray animals through volunteers, and that they feed approximately 600 stray animals daily in this way.