SOUTH AFRICA, 03 August 2018 – Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) has partnered with PETCO, the PET Plastic Recycling organisation, to launch a series of waste management solutions for the tourism sector.
The first of the series of workshops, aimed at providing training on responsible waste management and practical recycling assistance, kicked off in Plettenberg Bay today, with 30 businesses attending.
FTT will host four more workshops in 2018 – in Cape Town, the Midlands, St Lucia and Hoedspruit.
If you would like to be invited to any of these events, contact [email protected].
At the ‘No Time To Waste’ conference in 2017, FTT members took a pledge to eliminate as many single-use plastics from their businesses as possible. During “plastic-free July”, FTT members reported their plastic reduction initiatives:
De Zeekoe vowed to eliminate single-use plastics and took the first step, by REFUSING products packaged in plastic. They are now using bamboo products in their restaurant.
Shamwari phased out plastic straws and replaced them with biodegradable straws.
Casa Babi bought re-usable bags for each member of staff and stopped buying cling-wrap – despite their kitchen staff’s initial resistance!
Pakamisa said, “no to plastic bottles!” Pakamisa’s water has a PH of 7 which is ideal for drinking, so they pump it up the hill to their lodge to provide delicious natural refreshment for their guests.
St Francis Resort helped clear the oceans of plastic waste by undertaking a big beach clean up.
Grootbos introduced corn-starch straws, and use compostable cutlery and plates at their ‘Growing the Future’ organic farm. They have done away with plastic bottles and now use stainless steel water flasks on excursions and glass water bottles in the lodges.
Rhino Post Safari Lodge installed a water filter to provide filtered water by the glass or in aluminium bottles. They are working with a community project that supplies bottled water to lodges to get them to change their bottles to PET recyclable plastic.
READ MORE on this topic:
Western Cape Plans To Reduce Plastic Waste
