Who says that casinos are only interested in making money? That may be true of some, but not at Melco, where they announced on March 14 that the resort and entertainment giant had become the first global hospitality an integrated resort (IR) operator to make a commitment to reducing the amount of plastic pollution they produce.

Led by Ellen MacArthur, the initiative is known as the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The goal of this initiative is to eliminate plastic waste and pollution across the globe, an idea that executives at Melco were excited to sign onto.

According to the agreement, Melco agrees to remove all single-use plastic bottles from areas used by employees. This is to have completely taken effect by the end of 2020, as the company also intends to expand this policy into guest areas as well.

It has become quite common for resorts and higher-end hotels to leave individual bottles of water in customer’s rooms to provide them with fresh, bottled water. This has become a “luxury” that many patrons have become accustomed to, but clearly, this is a move to take action to protect the future of the earth.