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Community & Development /  Old Pages /  Environment /  Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainability Initiatives

Hamilton Island is committed to achieving the highest standards of environmental sustainability across the island’s operations. Sustainability initiatives are focused on reducing energy, water and waste.

Protecting local marine habitats

Providing first-hand experiences of the Great Barrier Reef is an important way of promoting, and educating about, its need for protection. There are over a dozen marked walking trails on the island and a variety of snorkelling, glass bottom boat and SCUBA diving trips on offer, where residents and guests can learn from expert guides about the area’s extraordinary biodiversity and the challenges it faces environmentally.
 
Various marine operators in the area operate a program known as Eye on the Reef. This is a program that incorporates surveys and monitoring by everyday people including Hamilton Island residents and guests. Daily information gathered through this program informs the conservation efforts of GBRMPA (the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority).
 
There are also island-wide Erosion and Sediment Control Measures in place such as rocky reed bed swale drains, silt traps, GPTs and promotion of natural vegetation around water courses to minimise run-off organic matter draining into local marine habitats.

Upgrades of sewerage and water treatment plants

In early 2020, Hamilton Island was part-recipient of the Great Barrier Reef Islands Resort Rejuvenation Fund. These funds were dedicated to a substantial upgrade of our sewerage and water treatment plants. Improvements to our water production process will dramatically reduce our overall energy consumption and allow us to be self-sufficient and resilient in extreme weather events.

Introduction of Liquid Food Composters

The Great Barrier Reef Islands Resort Rejuvenation Fund also provided for the purchase and installation of seven liquid composters designed to compost the majority of the island’s organic food waste.

There are many benefits of liquid food composting, some of which include:

  • Eliminate odours and therefore the associated pests
  • Significantly reduces the carbon footprint of HIE
  • Food waste is not being sent to landfill
  • The by-product of the LFC is disposed safely into the sewer system and used in grey water to irrigate the gardens around the island.

With the 7 composters, up to 125 ton of organic food waste will be diverted from landfill each year which equates to 541t CO2 saved per year.

Energy efficiency

There are many island-wide energy saving measures in place. Low wattage lighting and energy saving devices are installed in all hotels and most private residences, and some years ago the island made the decision to solely operate electric golf buggies and electric motor vehicles.

Recycling

Recycling has seen an overall year-on-year reduction of 25 per cent of general waste.

In a normal year, staff on the island collect and bale over one tonne of separated recyclables every day, which results in diverting over 400 tonnes of cardboard from landfill every year.
 
Any items that have reached their end of life are recovered for recycling such as TV’s and computer equipment, household and buggy batteries. Even old mattresses are stripped into their component parts for recycling by a local social enterprise company based in Mackay.
 
For more information about waste and recycling facilities, visit the Waste and Recycling page.

Single-use plastics

Cutlery, straws, food storage containers were removed from the Hamilton Island resort operations pre-COVID. Due to COVID safety protocols, the island has had to re-introduce some of these, but this will be phased out again as soon as is practicable and safe to do so.