Park Plaza Cardiff has become the first hotel in Cardiff to replace its traditional Christmas crackers with eco-friendly paper alternatives. The four-star city centre hotel is leading the way in the fight against single-use plastic, already becoming one of the first adopters of paper straws and replacing all plastic spoons used in the service of Afternoon Teas.
Following reports that Christmas crackers in the UK alone produce 154,000,000 pieces of plastic* annually, Park Plaza Cardiff introduced the latest policy to source ethical crackers made from 100% recycled board and are recyclable. The chosen crackers also help raise vital funds for The Trussell Trust which supports food banks across the UK.
General Manager of Park Plaza Cardiff, Margaret Waters, said: “Park Plaza is committed to reducing the unnecessary consumption of single-use plastic where we can. Our new eco crackers help us to do just this, while still providing the joyful tradition that people have come to expect from our popular Christmas parties. The crackers are very stylish and each one contains a beautiful card tree decoration as well as the usual paper hat and joke. I am also delighted that as a team we are supporting such a worthy cause at Christmas time.
“Park Plaza served more than 10,000 guests throughout the festive period in 2018, and with the same covers expected this year, the new pledge will go a long way to reducing the amount of single use plastic that goes into landfill.
“For every cracker we purchase, a donation is made to the Trussell Trust; a fantastic cause that we are privileged to be a part of, even more so over the holiday season.”
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks, including seven across Cardiff, providing emergency food and support to the 14million people living in poverty in the UK.
As well as the Trussell Trust, nationally, Park Plaza Hotels UK is supporting Hospitality Action over the Christmas period. The UK-based charity provides advice, support and assistance to those in need who work, or have worked within hospitality industry. All Park Plaza venues across the UK, including Park Plaza Cardiff, will be taking part in the Great Big Christmas Turn-on on Tuesday 3rd December when Hospitality Action aims to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest number of Christmas trees turned on simultaneously.
To find out more about Park Plaza Cardiff, its Christmas events visit www.parkplazacardiff.com.
