Vantage Hospitality Group has announced that all of its nearly 900 America’s and Canada’s Best Value Inn properties will carry shampoo, body lotion and bath soap with biodegradable packaging in their guestrooms.

“This isn’t just a commitment to the environment, it’s a commitment to our hotel owners and guests,” said Roger Bloss, CEO, president and founder of Vantage Hospitality. “We need to make sure we maintain the cities and towns where our properties are located and where our guests reside by not contributing unnecessarily to the local landfills. In addition, our hotel owners can rest assured knowing that there is no additional cost for these new amenities.”

The facts are alarming: 3.5 billion bottles and caps go into landfills every year in the United States alone. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down in a landfill, and 95% of plastics are not recycled and wind up in landfills.

To help solve the problem, Vantage has partnered with Concept Amenities, whose products include an organic enzyme called Eco Pure that allows the bottles to biodegrade in a landfill in less than nine years instead of centuries. America’s Best Value Inn properties will begin to carry the biodegradable packaging in March as their current amenity supplies are depleted.

“We are excited to launch this truly revolutionary product and we are pleased to share the stage with Vantage Hospitality and the fastest-growing hotel chain in America,” said Gary Coward, senior vice president of Concept Amenities, Inc. “America’s Best Value Inn is the first national brand to offer ERP biodegradable guest amenity products. With more than 50,000 active rooms in service, that’s a lot of little amenity bottles and caps each year. We are pleased to know that together, we are having a positive impact on our environment.”