The Gold Coast 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.

Gold Coast resort, Wyndham Surfers Paradise, together with restaurant tenants in the same building have volunteered their support of the program, and in the first quarter of participation have created 2.5 tonnes of usable compost that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

“We are proud to be a part of this fantastic initiative,” said Kaydee George, Area General Manager, Gold Coast at Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, “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 program, recent initiatives include a total balloon and plastic straw ban at its resorts and offices.

“This has saved the planet from potentially damaging litter from balloons, which turtles are known to ingest when they are mistaken for jellyfish” said Ben Perkins, Manager Sustainability, Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific. “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.”

“More and more travellers around the world are placing importance on hotels and resorts that implement eco-friendly practices. Through our WYNDGreen Program we are proud to be focused on education and innovation that improves the environment, supports global and local communities, and develops sustainable practices,” he added.

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.

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.

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