As part of our commitment to improving our environmental sustainability as a practice we are always looking at new ways to stay green. Here are some of the improvements we have implemented to reduce our impact on the environment.
Recycling and reusing
- Where possible we use items that can be reused rather than single use items, such as washable drapes, scrub hats and kennel liners.
- We ask the community for unwanted items such as towels, baby socks and blankets which we can use in practice.
- We repurpose items such as drip bags into doggy boot covers and hot water bags.
- There are multiple recycling bins throughout the practice and our team are active in reducing our general waste.
- Packaging from our deliveries, such as polystyrene boxes used to transport our raw dog food, are advertised to the local community for repurposing. Our polystyrene boxes have been used for transporting live tropical fish, storing Christmas baubles, moving houseplants and even beekeeping!
Energy saving
- Lights, computers and equipment are turned off when not in use.
- Outside lights are sensor or timer operated to reduce use when not needed.
- We have switched to energy saving light bulbs throughout the practice.
Carbon reduction
- Where possible, items are bought in bulk to reduce the amount of deliveries to the practice.
- We have installed oxygen concentrators in our hospital to reduce our oxygen cylinder deliveries.
Responsible purchasing
- We buy many items in bulk and use refillable dispensers such as soap, cleaning agents, lubricants and sanitiser.
- We buy from environmentally conscious companies such as Smol which use reduced or recylcable packaging.
Reducing plastic and paper waste
- We have switched from plastic dispensing bags to recyclable paper envelopes.
- We have moved as much of our paperwork as possible online to reduce the need to print invoices, card receipts, medication reminders and hospital forms.
- Rather than giving out paper leaflets we use email, Facebook and our website to provide useful information to our clients.
Reducing the impact of antiparasitics
- Our vets prescribe flea and worming treatment only to patients who are at risk of parasites.
- We encourage clients to hand in any un-used pet medication or anti-parasitic packaging to the practice for safe disposal.
- We discourage the use of spot-on treatments which are more likely to enter waterways and impact local wildlife.
Call us on 01435 864422 if you would like to know more about our commitment to the environment.
