From table to soil in 72 hours – how food waste is recycled at our hotels in Trysil

At our hotels and lodges, innovative solutions are a natural part of everyday life. Behind many of these initiatives is Morgan Eriksson, who is responsible for sustainability and safety at our seven hotel facilities. With an eye for smart solutions and a desire to make a real difference, he drives the work forward with both innovation and passion.

Food waste is converted into valuable soil

‘It actually started back in 2010 when the hotel in Trysil was awarded the Swan eco-label,’ says Morgan. A few years later, we switched to a Norwegian environmental certification and certified both SkiStar Lodge and Radisson Blu Hotel. Since then, we have been recertified every three years. This is an important foundation for our work – but we always want to do more. 

A concrete example of this is the investment in our own composting machine, which Morgan introduced two years ago after seeing a similar solution at the Högfjällshotellet in Sälen. The aim? To reduce the amount of food waste and at the same time create something valuable from what would otherwise have been thrown away.

Fertilises ski slopes and strengthens vegetation

‘The hotel in Trysil produces around 55 tonnes of food waste every year,’ says Morgan. This comes from around 110,000 guest nights and includes everything from food waste to peelings, coffee grounds and expired food. ‘Through our process with a grinder and composting machine, we can reduce this to 5 tonnes of nutrient-rich compost – a reduction of 90%!’ And the soil doesn't go to waste. Among other things, it can be used to fertilise plants, which in turn strengthens vegetation on the ski slopes – helping to reduce erosion and improve the slopes.

The vision for the future is to be able to use the soil for growing herbs and vegetables. Morgan has applied for an exemption to be able to use the soil commercially in the future.

More projects in the pipeline

But the composting machine is far from the only environmental project in the pipeline. We have recently started a collaboration with the Skåne-based company AnoDes, which develops water purification technology based solely on water, salt and electricity. The technology reduces biofouling in pipes and taps and eliminates the need for strong chemicals – while being completely harmless to humans, animals and the environment. It also eliminates Legionella bacteria, which is always present naturally in raw water. As Morgan himself says, ‘Legionella can be a small problem that brings a large hotel to its knees, so this feels very reassuring.’

We don't talk about waste

‘We are constantly striving to improve our facilities – not just for our guests today, but for future generations,‘ says Morgan. “It's about thinking sustainably at every stage, from waste management and energy consumption to how we reduce transport. For example, in our staff training at hotels and lodges in Norway, we have started to phase out the word ”waste’. We prefer to call it ‘raw material’, because that's what it really is. When you see it through different eyes, it often becomes easier to sort correctly and understand the value of what would otherwise just be thrown away.’

Our sustainability work is an ongoing process that grows as new ideas, technical solutions and lessons learned emerge. For Morgan Eriksson, it's about testing, evaluating and constantly finding ways to benefit both the business and the natural environment. And even though not all goals have been achieved yet, important steps are being taken – one project at a time.