ONE of Blackpool's premier hotels has gone green - and is saving itself thousands of pounds a year because of it.

No longer does rubbish from the Norbreck Castle Hotel simply get thrown away, instead it is recycled and sold on to others.

Waste is divided into three types - food which is sold to a pig farm, and paper and cardboard which are also passed on at a price.

In return, the seafront hotel has saved itself £7,000 a year and earned the approval of owners Principal Hotels.

The scheme was the brainchild of chef Mark Fox who received one of the company's Quality Wins awards for his efforts.

Norbreck Castle's general manager Peter Ingels explained: "Mark came to me with an idea for how to save costs and help the environment.

"We jumped on the idea straight away but some people took a bit of convincing.

"Every member of staff has to agree because they wouldn't be able to put the rubbish all in one bin anymore.

"The scheme has been up and running for a while now and Mark is really pleased to see his idea take off."

Praise for the scheme was highlighted in a report looking into the performance of all 21 of Principal Hotels acquisitions.

Managing director Tony Troy commented: "In this industry, quality of service is intrinsically linked to profitability.

"Initiatives like the waste disposal scheme at the Norbreck Castle demonstrates the commitment of all staff to guest satisfaction and the continuing success of Principal Hotels."

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