Institution of Engineers to host the Wynn Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Campaign, during which several environmental protection forums were held, eco-friendly straws were distributed, and the Macau Secondary School Green Campus Competition was launched. By creating and participating in such initiatives the company seeks to encourage the greater reduction of waste and improved recycling throughout the community.
The half-year campaign – the first community-based sustainable development campaign jointly organised by a large-scale integrated resort company and the professional engineering sector in Macau – attracted participation from the business and academic sectors in a joint effort to ‘build a greener community’.
Ms. Linda Chen, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, Limited, noted in her keynote address at the inaugural event that Wynn has deepened its roots in Macau over the years, with the company enthusiastically committed to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities. “This series of sustainable development activities being launched in partnership with professional engineering organisations,” she remarked, “signifies closer co-operation between Wynn and other sectors, and highlights the company’s commitment to thriving with the community. This joint effort will benefit the wellbeing of local SMEs and the next generation.”
Seminars to increase environmental awareness
The strengthening of environmental awareness among the public and within the F&B industry an acknowledged priority, it was agreed that regular promotional activities will tap into the expertise of environmentalists, scholars and representatives from relevant industries to host seminars, workshops, forums and lectures themed around environmental protection and sustainable development.
With single-use plastic products very much under the microscope both here and abroad, the public and enterprises will be encouraged to reduce their usage by greater exposure to the impact plastic and solid waste has on community health and wellbeing.
Distribution of eco-friendly straws
To further promote the awareness of plastic waste in the community and encourage restaurants and the public to reduce the usage of single-use plastic products, one million eco-friendly straws will be offered to local restaurants during the campaign period.
“I’m thrilled that Wynn has put significant effort into promoting environmental protection,” said Wu Chou Kit, Chairman of the Macau lnstitution of Engineers. “I also hope that over time the use of plastic bottles for drinking water as well as plastic containers for beverages will be abandoned. Today, let us begin by distributing environmentally-friendly straws.”
Promoting environmental education on campuses
Recognising that environmental protection policies and education should be propagated as early as possible, Wynn – in tandem with the Macau lnstitution of Engineers – will launch the Macau Secondary School Green Campus Competition in order to nurture secondary students’ environmental awareness.
The results of the competition are slated to be announced in the second half of the year. The winning entries will be publicly displayed to further raise awareness among students from local primary and secondary schools, thereby fostering the desire to build a green Macau.
Meanwhile, Wynn has also implemented a range of environmental protection activities and measures within and beyond its hotels, much of which is channelled through the company’s Green Team, which plans and implements sustainability policies.
Recycling for the future
Over the past year, Wynn has partnered with suppliers to launch a coffee capsule recycling programme whereby Wynn collects all used coffee capsules from its hotel rooms on a daily basis and stores them in its Recycling Room prior to their collection and dispatch to Hong Kong for recycling every two weeks.
This initiative seeks to enable everyone to enjoy their coffee while incrementally nursing the earth back to health by reducing waste and supporting green living. Every little helps.
In another bid to build a sustainable, eco-friendly future Wynn recycles all used light tubes and light bulbs, with 60 kilograms of these fixtures, on average, sent for recycling each and every month; this includes the lighting equipment serving the Performance Lake, back-of-house office area light tubes, and LED lighting around the resort, all of which are sent to an overseas recycling plant where they are crushed, separated and washed.
To ensure the recycling process is completed thoroughly, Wynn even receives a certificate of disposal with accompanying photos.
Turning waste into treasure
Kitchen waste also presents its own particular challenges, which Wynn addresses in a number of ways, including purchasing a kitchen waste processor to convert tons of food waste into fertiliser. Furthermore, categorised recycling equipment has been introduced to the staff canteen, with regular checks ensuring the effective reduction of waste.
Wynn also actively supports Clean the World’s (CTW) soap recycling programme, which it linked up with five years ago. In this initiative Wynn has collected and recycled 22,696 kilograms of leftover soap to date from its hotel rooms. In 2018, Wynn and its WE (Wynn Employees) Volunteer Team also joined hands to produce 5,000 goodie bags filled with hygienic necessities to be delivered to local people in need.
Green Team Roadshow
The primary mission of Wynn Palace’s Green Team – currently numbering more than 50 members and growing – is to nurture employee awareness of environmental protection as well as providing specific guidance and assistance to staff to enable them to practice low-carbon eco living in their daily lives and working environment.
A promotional recycling event held in the back-of-house office areas, in fact, recently served as the ideal relaxed environment for the Green Team to share information and details of the company’s initiatives and achievements with colleagues. In addition, the team offers ongoing special LED offers and promotions to employees in the hope of integrating eco-friendly home equipment into employees’ daily lives – not only lighting up their homes but their aspirations for a greener, healthier future.
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