Sustainability

We know that sustainability is as important. The Darlington Hotel takes its commitment to minimise the impact it has on the environment. We have considered many aspects of our operations to ensure that we embrace sustainable tourism and reduce our carbon footprint, whilst continuing to provide the high level of service expected by our guests.

• Recycling of all rubbish with First Mile- we recycle plastic, paper, cardboard, oil and batteries. We work closely with First Mile(www.thefirstmile.co.uk) who as a company specialise in environmental solutions called to find new ways to recycle waste.
• Key card controlled power in rooms with Assa Abloy supplies (www.assaabloy.com) - energy and cost saving control of electricity used in the rooms.
• LED light bulbs and LED light bulbs with motion sensor- used wherever possible throughout the hotel to reduce energy consumption.
• Water softener- the excessive amounts of chemical used in cleaning products mostly goes down the drain. By reducing this substantially we help save our streams and rivers from the ravages of chemical degradation.
• Grease trap is used in the kitchen (www.thameswater.co.uk/wholesale/best-practice-for-food-businesses) -fat, oil and grease often ends up being washed down the kitchen sink – but this can harden, blocking pipes and causing pollution. These blockages can cause wastewater to back-up through toilets and sinks into homes and businesses – or escape through manholes into streets and rivers.
• Towels changing policy- we implemented an on-request towel change, by doing this, the carbon footprint generated by the transporting the towels to the laundry and washing of towels can be cut down considerably, and this helps the hotel to stay green and this cuts down on the CO2 emission used. Less laundry to do also means a reduction in sewer and energy.
• Toilet twinning- we support independent charities (www.toilettwinning.org). Water and sanitation projects enable families to build a toilet, have access to clean water, and to learn about handwashing and other hygiene principles. Also, if human waste is properly composted, it can become ‘humanure’, solving waste management issues, boosting agricultural yields and sparing farmers the cost of expensive fertilisers.
• Water filters in the kitchen-apart from increasing the purity and safety of our hotel kitchen water, the filtration system benefits the environment by cutting down pollution, waste generation, and resource use. We use filters from www.freshwaterfilters.com