Wyndham Asia Pacific boosts sustainability efforts
Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and the environment through a partnership with the City of Gold Coast (the City) in a food waste recycling trial.
The City has implemented a trial food waste recycling service to assist its commercial customers to divert as much waste as possible from landfill.
The service enables participating businesses in key business districts to remove their food scraps from the general waste collection.
Food waste collected is combined with the city’s green waste and turned into certified organic compost now being used in Gold Coast parks and gardens.
Avoiding landfill
Gold Coast resort, Wyndham Surfers Paradise, together with restaurant tenants in the same building have volunteered their support of the programme, and in the first quarter of participation have created 2.5 tonnes of usable compost that would have otherwise gone to landfill.
Kaydee George, area general manager, Gold Coast at Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, said: “We are proud to be a part of this fantastic initiative. We are committed to doing all we can to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our beautiful natural resources long into the future.”
Aiming for conservation of resources, preservation of natural habitats and prevention of pollution, Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, which manages 34 hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific, and has offices in eight Asia Pacific countries, has slashed its use of plastics and upped its emphasis on environmentally friendly technologies and best practice.
Through its WYNDGreen programme, recent initiatives include a total balloon and plastic straw ban at its resorts and offices.
Ben Perkins, manager sustainability at Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, said: “This has saved the planet from potentially damaging litter from balloons, which turtles are known to ingest when they are mistaken for jellyfish.
“Plastic straws, which are only used once are one of the most prevalent litter items in our oceans and by making this change we are saving the planet from approximately 400,000 plastic straws per annum.”
Reusable coffee cups are now sold at Wyndham’s Gold Coast café, Canteen Social, and the business has also switched to BioPak plant based cutlery and packaging. Battery and soft plastic recycling stations are also being installed in trials across the company’s resorts and sites.
“More and more travellers around the world are placing importance on hotels and resorts that implement eco-friendly practices,” added Perkins.
“Through our WYNDGreen programme we are proud to be focused on education and innovation that improves the environment, supports global and local communities, and develops sustainable practices.”
Reducing paper consumption
Digital signatures have been implemented across the business saving thousands of sheets of paper each year, and each time a resort is refurbished, furniture and linen donations are routinely made to local charities.
The WYNDGreen programme also asks for suppliers to be accountable when it comes to sustainability. As an example, a recent request for no more plastic wrappers on individual biros and USBs delivered across the resort network was made, which resulted in the elimination of 127,000 plastic wrappers per annum. Regular litter collections and beach cleanups are organised throughout the year, along with upcycle clothing swaps.
Wyndham Destinations staff are also encouraged to Catch a Colleague Green Handed with prizes on offer including having a native rainforest tree planted their honour in Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The park is one of two remaining habitats for Sumatran orang-utans.
