Protecting and preserving Table Mountain

29 Sep 2017

Table Mountain Cableway Managing Director Wahida Parker says: “It is no longer an option for businesses to be ignorant of their economic, social and environmental responsibility." This as South African celebrates Tourism Month under the theme of sustainability.

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“As custodians of Table Mountain, we need to protect and preserve the attraction’s natural and cultural heritage whilst minimising our environmental footprint and maximising the positive social effect that we have. It is through our various responsible tourism initiatives that we are able to do this.”

In its endeavours to protect the unique environment in which it operates, the Cableway focuses on three pillars of responsible tourism – environmental, social and economic:

Support local

By eliminating a need to utilise imported goods and by sourcing locally, especially from SME’s, more than 95% of their retail products, the Cableway is able to remain supportive of the local communities and suppliers, with the aim of growing and developing relationships towards successful, long-term and mutually beneficial relationships. Some of the Cableway’s local suppliers include Rootz Creations, Recycled in Africa, Yvettie Munava, The Bean People and Synergy Frontiers.

Water wise

In a drought-stricken Western Cape, water saving is more important than ever. Over the years of operation, the Cableway has remained water-wise which has seen the implementation of a variety of water saving initiatives including:

• A unique toilet and waste water removal system that makes use of waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets, which utilise recycled hand-basin water for flushing

• The use of compostable cups, lids, cutlery and straws at all food and beverage outlets

• The installation of water-efficient push taps in all bathrooms

• The placement of the production kitchen at the Lower Station to reduce grey water

Reduce, re-use, recycle

The Cableway recycles more than 50% of all waste. Following the mantra “reduce, re-use, recycle”, the Cableway’s waste strategy is to reduce the amount of waste produced so that there is less waste to recycle and less waste sent to landfill.

Carbon neutral

The Cableway offsets its carbon dioxide emissions by investing in the Kuyasa Housing Project, a low-carbon initiative in Khayelitsha, which installs solar water heaters, ceilings and compact fluorescent energy efficient light bulbs in houses in the area.