First survey of solid waste generation and related practices in Moroccan hotels: A case study of Marrakech

Abstract

Tourism stimulates local economies by boosting demand for services and products, creating jobs, and increasing revenue, but it also harms the environment, ecosystems, and biodiversity, mainly through large amounts of solid and liquid waste that require costly management. Due to the absence of data on solid waste in Morocco, this study surveyed the quantity of solid waste generated by 26 hotels in Marrakech and identified the waste management strategies adopted to manage this pollution. First, the solid waste produced by hotels was quantified and characterized according to its type. Second, solid waste generation was surveyed in hotels, including collection, sorting, and the involvement of various sectors. Data were collected via sampling and questionnaire, and were analyzed using univariate, multivariate, and predictive statistics. The results of this study highlight significant variations in waste quantity generated among different hotel categories, from 505.31 to 451.31 kg/day in five-star hotels and from 82.841 kg/day to 90.9 in three-star hotels. Organic waste is the dominant fraction, representing 76% to 79% of total waste, followed by paper and packaging with a proportion from 10% to 12%. The production of glass was from 7% to 9%, and that of textiles and metal was about 1%. The waste distribution within hotels also varies by category. In both five- and four-star hotels, 65% to 77% of the total waste is generated in work areas, mainly due to kitchen and storage activities. Only 28.85% of hotels have an internal management strategy for solid waste. Solid waste management is predominantly handled by private companies (60%), particularly in 5- and 4-star establishments, while 40% rely on the informal sector. The adoption of waste-sorting remains limited (34.62% of hotels). Generalized Linear Model (GLM) results indicate that hotel category is the only significant determinant of waste sorting practices and infrastructure. These findings provide the first empirical evidence on hotel solid waste management in Morocco and offer a baseline for future research, which should incorporate seasonal variability, environmental impacts, and associated economic losses.