Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Environmental Stewardship

Reducing landfill and the potential for plastics to pollute our oceans is a core action across our operations. By working together, the sum of all actions is achieving some impressive results. Here’s a few examples…

Reducing landfill and the potential for plastics to pollute our oceans

By working together, the sum of all actions is achieving some impressive results.

• Phasing out plastic consumables: We continue to phase out plastic consumables wherever possible such as the elimination of plastic straws and single-use plastic retail bags across our operations. A biodegradeable paper straw is available on request and paper bags are now provided. Onboard and at Green Island Resort, we provide water fountains (for drink container refill) and even icecream scoops are served with a biodegradable wooden spoon. The Resort has replaced single-use plastic packaging on complimentary guest toiletries with eco-friendly refillable dispensers.
• Food Rescue: In 2018 we successfully piloted a food rescue program with OzHarvest that has seen excess quality food from our Cairns daily cruises support many charities in our region. Not only is this socially the right thing to do, it also reduces the amount of food that reaches landfill and the release of methane and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
• Recycling and upcycling: Some examples include recycling oils from our vessels and coach fleet, and cooking oils from our catering facilities to be converted to biodiesel fuel. From our Port Douglas base, we use an oil separator to process the liquid pumped from the bilges of our vessels, allowing the oil to be separated from water and collected for recycling. From our land offices, we contribute to an innovative company, Close the Loop, who are repurposing soft plastics like used printer cartridges into an asphalt additive for road surfacing.

• Just like our old uniforms, sustainability comes in all shapes and sizes! We also contribute to Upparel, recycling old staff uniforms into a second life while closing the loop on textile waste. Once the textiles are sorted and assessed for recycling, they are broken down through an industrial tearing process to create a fine fluffy fibre. This recycled fibre is used to create a unique material for packaging, signage, homewares and much more. For every 1kg of textiles that avoids landfill, an average 3-4kg of greenhouse gases is prevented from polluting the atmosphere. 

• Ethical purchasing choices include minimally packaged goods and reusable products, recycled paper napkins, printing brochures with certified sustainable forestry products, through to building materials such as recycled tyres for poolside paving at Pro Dive Cairns training centre. 
• From Green Island Resort, partially used guest soap bars are collected for “Soap Aid” for reprocessing into fresh, hygienic soap bars for distribution to disadvantaged communities in Australia and overseas. Soap Aid is a not-for-profit organisation committed to saving lives through improved hygiene and education while positively impacting the environment. Since we joined the program over 270kg has been donated in a 12 month period creating 2770 soap bars.