Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria goes plastice free
KOTA KINABALU: Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa has started its Plastic Free Campaign to help reduce its plastic footprint.
“We are committed to identifying our plastic footprint in the resort then working on a plan to reduce our plastic single use items,” said Rasa Ria general manager, Fiona Hagan during a courtesy visit to Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun at his office recently.
“On the 1st February we implemented no plastic straws in the resort which was met with outstanding enthusiasm from our colleagues and guests. The Rasa Ria has always been committed to caring for the community and the education of conservation and practices to protect our environment. Our management and colleagues are excited to lead the way and to make a difference,” she added.
According to the research done by Plastic Disclosure Project (PDP), there are roughly 33% of plastic for single use and approximately 85% of total global plastic used is not recycled.
“Looking to the future Rasa Ria will be going plastic free by 1st April 2018 and usage of one-time use plastic straws and take away boxes will be lessen by at least 250 thousand per year. The resort will be the first hotel in the group to work with PDP in undertaking a baseline measurement of their plastic use and/or waste profile, so that it can better manage, reduce and benefit from the efficient use of plastic with less waste and higher recovery rates,” said Hagan.
The Plastic Disclosure Project is focused on bringing innovation, technologies, creativity and collaborations together to address some of the challenges that face the ocean and our broader environment.
Two preventative solutions to the plastic waste issues are the PDP and Global Alert, both of which were announced at the 2010 “Clinton Global Initiative” in New York.
Ocean Recovery Alliance is now working with both the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans on PDP research and programs for cities and their waste analysis.
In 2012, Rasa Ria took its very first step towards going plastic free and built its in-house bottling plant that purifies water through filtration stages, producing still drinking water that is served throughout the resort.
The 1.0 litre glass bottles of drinking water are designed to replace the use of plastic mineral water bottles. This new process translated into a reduction of approximately 365,000 of plastic drinking bottles per year. The resort is also ISO certified.
The Rasa Ria’s plastic free program is also in line with Shangri-La’s key strategies to achieve excellence, to be committed to the environment through corporate social responsibility.
The resort will also be educating the community through the embrace program, guiding students from the local communities to practice a more efficient way of using plastic.
The resort is committed to make a difference in Sabah by reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste and to use plastic more efficiently and intelligently. In turn, creating a cleaner environment that is beneficial for the tourist in Sabah, our wildlife and most of all our beautiful ocean.
Also present during the courtesy call were Vitalis J Moduying from the Environmental Protection Department, Mary Malangking from Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sail Jamaludin, Director of Recreation and Nature, ShangriLa’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa and Ana Alisaputri, CSR Manager, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa.