Sustainability at The Observatory

At the Observatory, we are conscious of our environmental footprint and are continually looking for ways to encourage more sustainable travel. Below you will find more information and helpful hints on how you can support these initiatives during your stay.

#Take3ForTheSea

Join our award-winning environmental initiative by collecting 3 pieces of rubbish when you are out and about enjoying the natural attractions of Coffs Harbour. Return your rubbish to our reception and receive a Pure Pops Ice Block for your hard work.

Since the program's inception, our guests have helped us collect over 18kgs of rubbish and we have given out over 80 ice blocks.

Return and Earn for the Can Do Cancer Trust

Help us recycle used plastic and glass bottles while also raising money for the Can Do Cancer Trust - a local organisation that assists patients of the North Coast Cancer Institute and their families.

In your room, you will find a grey bin with a return and earn label - simply leave your bottles and cans in this bin, and we will do the rest.

As of January 2024 we have raised over $5,000 for Can Do while also saving 50,000 cans and bottles from landfill.

Sustainable Amenities

At The Observatory we have introduced 500ml bottles of bathroom products in our apartments through the Herbology range. These bottles are refillable, dramatically reducing plastic waste throughout the property.

We do not sell plastic bottles in our reception store. Instead we have provided a filtered water station for guest use. We encourage guests to bring a water bottle with them and use this facility throughout their stay. We also have reusable water bottles available for purchase if you don't have one.

We have replaced our access keys with a reusable bamboo option further reducing our plastic use.

We have two destination electric vehicle charging stations available for use by guests. These are Tesla Charging stations however these can be used with other electric vehicles if using compatible adapters.

Paperless Policy

Wherever possible we have taken steps to become a paperless business. Instead of guest compendiums in our apartments, you will find a QR code that can be scanned to access all of our guest information online.

When required we use recycled paper, print double-sided and print on scrap paper for team requirements. Reservation confirmations, invoices and receipts are sent electronically.

Next Steps

We understand that there is room for continual improvement. Our current sustainability projects include;

Installation of solar - we are currently in the process of researching the best solution for solar power throughout our property.
Sustainable Food Practices - we are considering options to install vegetable gardens onsite for guest use as well as ways to promote organic waste composting onsite.