To buy a used shipping container in the UK and convert it to a completely different use is not just to show a bit of creativity; it is to help make the world a greener place and advance the cause of sustainability.
Nowhere has this been recognised more than in the case of a London hotel made from recycled containers, which has been nominated for a sustainability award, Circular Online reports.
The Stow-Away Waterloo has been shortlisted in the GrINN Awards for the Best Sustainable Aparthotel in Europe and Best Sustainable City Hotel categories by Quartz Inn hotels. The hotel is up against competition from 23 European countries, including other hotels in the UK.
Managing director of Quartz Inn Hotels Ignacio Merino said: “The main objective of the awards is to promote good sustainable practices in the hospitality sector and to increase general awareness of the impact of hospitality and tourism activities on the environment.”
The Stow-Away does this both through the re-use of 26 containers and the location of a plethora of solar panels on the roof and elsewhere, generating enough electricity to run the hotel and often providing some extra that can be fed into the National Grid. It also has air conditioning and hydro units that recycle heat between different parts of the hotel to make sure it is never wasted.
Inside the containers, the rooms come with timber cladding, while the lights are all low-energy LED bulbs. The hotel and its on-site restaurant also recycles all its rubbish, with recycling bins also placed in guest rooms to help visitors play their part.
The idea for the Stow-Away Waterloo dates back to 2016, when its founders discovered a brownfield site in Waterloo that had been damaged by WW2 bombing. After planning permission and construction, it was opened to visitors in 2018.