‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ (ZWL) is a sustainability concept that encourages the redesign of resource lifecycles so that all products are reused. The goal is to ensure that no waste matter is sent to landfills, incinerators or the oceans. Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India (MHRIL), a leading player in the leisure hospitality industry, recently set a sustainability benchmark when Club Mahindra Virajpet, its property in Coorg, Karnataka, was certified India’s first ZWL resort.

“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Club Mahindra,” said Kavinder Singh, MD and CEO, MHRIL. “This certification is the first step in our journey towards becoming India’s leading sustainable resort chain.”

Organisations with more than 99% waste diverted away from landfills receive the ZWL certification. Club Mahindra Virajpet recycles and reuses 99.32 per cent of its waste, a pioneering achievement. The resort was certified by Intertek, a renowned quality assurance provider to industries worldwide.

This certification was the successful culmination of a host of initiatives. The journey towards ZWL began in September 2018, when Club Mahindra first began by sourcing eco-friendly and biodegradable materials for its resorts. The resort made it a point to use materials like straws, laundry bags and packaging of bathroom amenities made from corn starch, disposable wooden cutlery, liquid soap dispensers (instead of soap) and bottled shampoos, etc.

Then, it began to identify and categorise waste, and authorised collectors and recyclers were hired to ensure its proper disposal. Food waste was converted into manure, sewage water was treated in a sewage treatment plant and used for gardening, and aerators were installed in the taps in every room to reduce water consumption. The resort also eliminated the use of bottled water on the premises. An organic garden was planted and rainwater was harvested for all outside use.