Las Vegas Sands’ Chinese subsidiary has announced an increased investment in green technology, as the firm vows to inject a number of initiatives to reduce its impact upon the environment.
Meridith Beaujean, director of sustainability facilities at Sands, is quoted in Macau Business as stressing that the company is looking to install solar panels for hot water at its Sands Cotai Central property, soon to be rebranded The Londoner, as soon as licence approval is received.
Furthermore, Beaujean commented that furniture set to be disposed of as part of the transformation to the English capital could be donated to the region:“When you change a hotel, you remove the furniture. We have contracts with recyclers and it is not being disposed.
“It is being re-used, not in Macau but it is being either donated to Southeast Asia, or sold as second-hand. When we dispose of furniture, first we check if it can be sold to the staff. So, different streams of recycling.”
Plans are also in place to ensure all shuttle buses run on natural gas, increase the Sands China fleet of electric vehicles and invest in ‘enhance ferries’ which are said to be “less polluting and more efficient,” however, one challenge faced is the lack of local recycling infrastructures in place: “We have some electric buses, electric chargers in our properties for private vehicles, and we are starting to move our limousines, although not all yet, into electric,” it was added.
“In Macau they have announced they will dedicate some land for waste near the airport. I don’t know how fast this is going to happen, but it is a step. It is just the territory is small. If we want to compost, for example, which is an easy way to recycle organic food, what do you do with your compost?”
This comes as the subsidiary of the US casino giant is tipped to retain its place as the market leader of Macau’s gaming industry for at least the next five years, stresses the Asian branch of global brokerage firm Sanford C Bernstein to GGR Asia.
Sands China, who counts the The Venetian Macao, The Plaza Macao, Sands Macao and The Parisian Macao, as well as the soon to be rebranded Cotai Central as part of its portfolio, is said to have accounted for ‘over 23.3%’ of Macau’s aggregated gaming revenues in the twelve months to the end of March.
