Looking closely at waste solutions

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Greater Knysna Business Chamber kicked off its first meeting of the year with a focus on the waste management issue in Knysna.

The chamber (GKBC) was founded five months ago with the aim of making Greater Knysna an attractive business and investment destination, beginning with the tourism industry.

Members of the GKBC were all in agreement on the importance of addressing the waste management problem because it ties in with the tourism industry, as the influx of visitors to the town every season brings with it an increase in new rubbish that the town has to deal with.

In light of this, the chamber's tourism pillar organised a meeting for local business owners at Simola Golf & Country Estate on Monday 10 February to discuss issues, ways to tackle them, and also bring to business owners' attention the situation that is faced by the waste management role players in Knysna. Particular focus was placed on the recycling depot on Waterfront Drive, with waste management expert Debbie Davies detailing how business should go about recycling as well as what can and can't be recycled in Knysna at the moment.

After Davies' presentation, local business-woman Elmay Bouwer (Blackwaters River Lodge) spoke about tourism in Knysna, as well as what trends businesses could look into for the season. Bouwer highlighted the importance of clever marketing too, and made mention of quite a few trends that would help business stay relevant. These trends include personal restorative holidays; solo travel; surf destinations; motion-based and sport-based travel; and "micro-cations".

Local businesswoman Evelyn Pepler, owner of Ocean Odyssey, opened the meeting for Greater Knysna Business Chamber. Photos: Blake Linder