British holidaymakers throw away almost 3 million lilos each year, survey claims
British holidaymakers dump almost 3 million lilos while abroad each year, a survey has claimed.
A study by Holiday Hypermarket found that one in four travellers left their lilo at their hotel at the end of their holiday.
Given that more than eight million package holidays were taken by Britons in 2018, it could mean up to 2.7 million lilos getting left behind, the company said.
It said the trail of abandoned lilos would be enough to build an inflatable bridge from Gatwick Airport to the popular resort of Hurghada on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
Holiday Hypermarket surveyed 2,000 people and asked them about their lilo habits.
Of those surveyed, 25% said they left their lilo at their hotel, while 9% said they put them in a bin before going home.
According to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), more than eight million package holidays were taken by Britons last year.
This could mean that just over two million people left their lilos behind, with more than 700,000 throwing theirs away.
If laid end-to-end, that many lilos could stretch for almost 3,300 miles, Holiday Hypermarket said.
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Its poll said only 13% of British holidaymakers took their inflatables home, while around half said they never buy a lilo on holiday.
Craig Duncan, from Holiday Hypermarket, said: “We were shocked to discover how many lilos are abandoned after holidays.
“Recent campaigns have raised awareness of the impact billions of bottles, straw and cigarette butts have on marine life, so now it’s time for British holidaymakers to think about the waste of using a lilo for just one holiday.
“During our research we spoke to hotels and they described lilos as an awful problem that is getting worse.
“When a holidaymaker leaves a lilo behind hotels have little choice but to store them or send them to the local landfill.
“In our survey, we asked holidaymakers if they would use free lilos and inflatables provided by their hotel, but a staggering 57% said no.
“This means that even if people think their left-behind-lilo will be used by someone else, the chances are it won’t as most holidaymakers prefer to buy their own.
“British holidaymakers need to change their holiday habits to tackle the inflatable mountain that we risk leaving behind if we don’t change our behaviour.”
The company said travellers shouldn’t buy a lilo until checking if the hotel has some that are reusable. It also advised giving the lilo to another family at the end of the holiday.
