Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has launched the Sentosa Playbook for Reducing Disposables in its commitment to reduce the use of plastic disposables across the island.
In collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore (WWF-Singapore), the Playbook is the first precinct-level disposables guidebook in Singapore that provides guidance to businesses on Sentosa to help them understand best practices, monitor progress and push boundaries through new sustainable technologies.
To reduce the use of plastic disposables, members of the Sentosa Carbon Neutral Network (SCNN) – which include hotels, attractions and F&B operators – have committed to remove single-use plastic bottled water from guestrooms, dine-in, takeaway, and events by end-2023. This island-wide policy is estimated to reduce total island bottled water usage by at least two million bottles per year.
The Playbook also outlines 16 measures to reduce disposables, grouped into six categories from takeaway bags, food containers to amenity kits, across hotels, attractions, and F&B operators.
Some key measures undertaken by SCNN members include Capella Singapore eliminating single-use plastic bottled water since 2019 and removing plastic packaging from in-room amenities such as dental kits and laundry bags; Baristart Coffee’s app-enabled container programme that allows patrons to loan containers for free, and returning them for cleaning and sanitisation within 30 days; and Sentosa Golf Club removing all single-use plastic bottled water since 2018.
Thien Kwee Eng, CEO, SDC, said: “We hope that through challenging everyone on the island to make the necessary changes together, we can inspire our guests that change in their consumption behaviour is possible. This Playbook will serve to guide island businesses to align their practices with a Sentosa-wide approach towards tackling waste and working towards a Sustainable Sentosa.”
“We believe that successful implementation in Sentosa will inspire more players in the tourism industry to rethink single-use plastic products and explore innovative sustainability solutions,” commented R. Raghunathan, CEO, WWF-Singapore.
Together with Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa is the first island destination in Asia to be conferred the Global Sustainable Tourism Council – For Destinations (GSTC-D) certificate in 2022. SDC continues to explore more innovative ways of reducing carbon emissions through the launch of sustainability-focused experiences.
The full Playbook can be downloaded here.
