Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific has revealed it has adopted a plan to remove disposable plastic straws from 34 managed resorts and hotels around the Asia Pacific region.

The company also operates two vacation clubs in the region, WorldMark South Pacific Club and Club Wyndham Asia with close to 60,000 club members. The company is including 24 managed Club resorts in the new initiative.

“Our resorts are located in some of the most beautiful places on earth and we are committed to protecting the environment and the communities in which we operate for generations to come. We are proud to be taking progressive steps to reduce our environmental impact,” said Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director, International Operations, Wyndham Vacation Clubs.

Once fully implemented by July 1, 2019, the company could eliminate the use of more than 400,000 straws per year. As part of the initiative, its managed hotels and resorts under the Wyndham Grand, Wyndham, Wyndham Garden, TRYP by Wyndham, Ramada by Wyndham and Days Inn by Wyndham brands will offer paper straws upon request.

“Of the estimated eight million tons of plastic litter that flow every year into the world’s oceans, plastic straws are one of the worst offenders. We are committed to doing our part to help protect our planet by making this simple but powerful change,” said Ben Perkins, Sustainability Manager, Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific.

Single-use plastic straws, which are generally only used for about 15 minutes, never fully decompose and are one of the top ten items found on beach clean-ups globally. Straws are also one of the most insidious polluters because they are known to cause harm to birds and marine life when they are inadvertently ingested.

This plastic straw initiative is the latest change the hospitality and timeshare company is making to improve the sustainability of its operations and reduce plastic consumption. Late last year it banned balloons at all its events companywide. It has also started to switch to plant based biodegradable packaging and compostable cutlery for takeaway orders across its multiple food and beverage outlets.

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management