A hotel in Tokyo is using suitcases left behind by guests as planters for vegetables and herbs in its rooftop garden. In 2022, Hotel Niwa Tokyo in Chiyoda Ward started a project titled eco-Niwa, which promotes the recycling of hotel waste through leaf mold production and rooftop gardening. Initially, hemp bags that had been used for coffee beans were repurposed as planters in the rooftop garden.
Since hemp bags lacked durability and soil spilled out of them, however, the hotel came up with an idea of using abandoned suitcases. According to the hotel’s general manager, Kazuya Okawa, about 10 suitcases are left behind each month, and about 90% of its guests are foreign visitors. The hotel keeps such suitcases for a certain period.
If the owner does not come to pick them up, some of them will be turned into planters. Yoko Takata, who leads the rooftop garden project, said that plastic suitcases with unbroken casters are suitable for planters, because of their “excellent water retention and mobility thanks to their casters and handles.” The hotel has grown about 40 varieties of vegetables and herbs. Some of the harvest is served at restaurants in the hotel.
Some customers are surprised to discover that the hotel has a rooftop vegetable garden. The hotel is considering holding workshops at nearby schools to teach people how to use suitcases as planters. While placing top priority on guest satisfaction, Takata said, the hotel also hopes to “strengthen ties with local communities through efforts to make effective use of resources.”
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