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Abstract

This study examines how the multi-stream waste composition of Irish hotels aligns with European Union circular economy targets and what this reveals about the sector's position within a linear-to-circular transition. It provides the first multi-stream waste benchmark for the Irish hotel sector and interprets the findings through a socio-technical transition lens. A cross-sectional waste audit was conducted across 30 Irish hotels, collecting full-year data on food waste, recycling, and general waste. Carbon emissions were calculated using life-cycle emission factors, threshold analysis derived empirically grounded typologies, and circularity gaps were quantified against the EU 2030 recycling target (65%). Findings were interpreted using a Multi-Level Perspective (MLP).

Irish hotels remain predominantly linear: mean composition is 50.5% general waste, 30.3% food waste, and only 19.1% recycling, leaving a 45.9 percentage-point circularity gap. Four typologies emerged: Circular Pioneers (16.7%), Food Waste Challenged (26.7%), Landfill Dependent (33.3%), and Balanced Operators (23.3%). Carbon emissions averaged 2.45 kg CO₂e per guest-night, with Landfill Dependent hotels emitting 39% more than Circular Pioneers. No significant differences emerged across star ratings, indicating that managerial practice rather than classification drives performance.

Examined through MLP, these patterns describe a fragmented, early-stage transition in which niche innovation coexists with regime persistence. Targeted, typology-specific interventions combined with mandatory reporting, landfill tax reform, and Good Samaritan legislation are required to accelerate circular transition.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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