CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Sibaya’s environmental efforts draw praise on the world stage Durban casino’s commitment to several environmentally-related projects has received international recognition. Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom, located in Durban, has been identified as “one of the top eight environmentally friendly casinos in the world” by website casino.org, an international online authority on the global gaming industry. Other properties recognized include some of the biggest casinos in the world including Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand (all Las Vegas based), the Venetian and Melco Resorts (Macau), Resorts World (Singapore), and Turtle Creek (Michigan).Sibaya, which forms part of South Africa’s largest casino group, Sun International, was recognised for a range of environmental efforts. Commenting on the recognition, General Manager Myan Moodley said Sibaya was delighted to be recognised internationally. “As custodians of the environment, we at Sibaya believe we should do everything possible to respect and conserve our natural resources. Our management is also actively involved in rooting out wasteful mindsets among our staff and inculcating a culture of environmental conservation and sustainability”. It’s advanced water saving initiative is based on a water recovery system that catches waste water from cooling towers and reuses it for irrigation, an internal waste management programme and a 450 kilolitre water reservoir. The property has also introduced a number of efficient water saving devises in its kitchens and bathrooms. As an ocean-based casino, Sibaya also places environmental emphasis on sustainability of our oceans. The property has started the war on plastic and its casino, restaurants and hotels have eliminated plastic straws completely. They choose glass over plastic in the canteen and everything goes into the recycling bins. Chefs at the restaurants also ensure that they serve only fish green listed by the SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI). The aim of the initiative is to protect endangered fish species from extinction through overfishing. Moodley also confirmed that the casino has just approved a R50-million solar power project aiming to generate about 2,4/5 mega watts of energy for the property. Work on this project has begun and expected to be functional by December. Sibaya is a participant in the national Carbon Disclosure Project which aims to reduce greenhouse emissions. In 2019, Sibaya recycled 248.5 tons of waste and amidst the COVID pandemic in 2020, managed to recycle 114.5 tons. Waste handling contractor for the property, Oricol Environmental Services recycles the casino’s glass, paper, plastics and cardboards boxes offsite while moving their food waste to the composting zone onsite. Additionally, Sibaya aims to achieve ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ by 2023. Myan Moodley is an eco-warrior for whom issues of sustainability are extremely important. Prior to taking over the reins at Sibaya in 2019, he managed the Wild Coast Sun. While there he led a mammoth challenge to achieve a zero waste to landfill project, making the Wild Coast Sun the first company in Africa to do so. The property was audited by the Green Buildings Council of South Africa (GBCSA) who verified the claim. “Recycling has become so important to me that I now do this at home too. I routinely separate all waste in my home into separate recycling bins. This has enabled me to cultivate a number of crops at my home such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, herbs, chili, litchi, mango, lemon, and apple.”
www.suninternational.com 180 responsible traveller
