Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries, bringing in billions of dollars in revenue every year. It has and continues to generate jobs, further strengthening the economy. In terms of financial gains, the tourism sector definitely does not leave us wanting. Despite the immense amount of money it brings in, the growth of tourism also has a significant negative impact on the environment.
Because of access to more affordable means of travel, the number of people traveling has increased over the years. With the influx of tourists and workers in the hospitality industry, it has been noted that total waste created also has considerably increased. It is the responsibility of business owners, the government, and the community to find a balance between tourism and environmental protection. Waste disposal and waste management remain a great challenge being face by many tourist destinations. What used to be a problem that highly industrialized cities have now plagued small cities, towns, and countries that are sometimes unprepared in facing trash disposal issues.
Waste management is especially vital in areas that support eco-tourism or areas with natural landmarks as the fore attraction. Who wants to visit a polluted beach, contaminated sea, or a denuded forest? The degradation of these landmarks means an imminent decline in tourism. This is disastrous for a place that is heavily reliant on the income created by the sector. Serious environmental imbalance does not only affect the number of incoming travelers, job availability, income stream, and the economy but it also affects, directly or indirectly, other industries.
It is therefore imperative to adopt waste management practices in order to protect the environment and ensure lucrative tourism. Other benefits include reduced cost of operations for facilities belonging to the different categories of the hospitality industry and improved environmental sustainability.
The growing amount of trash has pushed local governments and even private businesses to increase the number of rubbish bins and dumpsters to facilitate proper waste disposal and segregation. There are businesses or communities where tourism is seasonal chooses to rent instead of purchase dumpsters to mitigate the cost. They rent equipment from rental companies, such as Pro Dumpster Rental, only during peak seasons or months.