Environmental Policy

 

At Thirsk Garden Centre we are conscious of our sustainability responsibilities and for this reason, have introduced recycling schemes for most of our waste generated; this includes the recycling of cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, wood etc.

Our aim, is to

• Further increase the amount of waste we send for recycling.
• Where possible return any plastic plant carrying trays back to the suppliers for them to reuse or allow customers to use them
• Recycle all printer cartridges, batteries, and electricals.
• Reduce our paper usage where possible and recycle all paper wastage.

 

Plastic Usage

• As a business, we are working with our suppliers to reduce the amount of plastic we use. All our pack bedding is in PET packs or taupe colour packs which are kerbside recyclable. Pot bedding will be moved to a blue, terracotta or taupe-coloured pot to allow them to be recycled at the waste plants. As a company, we will continue to drive the use of recycled or recyclable plastic and reduce plastic where possible.

   

 

Did you Know? Plants

At Thirsk Garden Centre wherever possible we actively purchase our plant stock from British Growers.

Currently, around 70% of plants that we purchase are sourced from UK nurseries.

Benefits of trees and plants:

• Make your garden more inviting and add beauty
• Trees provide shade
• Provide a natural solution to improve air quality
• Contribute to a healthy lifestyle by improving health and well being
• Reduce stress levels
• Reduce the effects of carbon dioxide
• Reduce background noise
• Attract wildlife to your garden.

• Help our environment by introducing more plants and trees to your garden and home

 

Our energy and carbon footprint

We are working to reduce the amount of energy we use and we are investing in more sustainable ways of powering our garden centre. We generate power from our own solar panels. We have installed energy efficient LED lighting in most of the centre and have light sensors in the warehouse and timers on most of our electrical products We support British growers and approximately 70% of our outdoor plants are British grown. We have electric vehicle charging points are assessing for our company vehicles and have plans to introduce charging points for customers.

 

 

Peat Policy

We are fully committed to environmental responsibility and share the concerns of gardeners, the horticultural industry and government towards peat extraction. We strive to be a peat-free business and support the continued search for alternative growing media.

 

We do not sell sedge or moss peat in their unmixed forms.

Peat-free compost has a prominent position within our compost sales area.

We do not recommend the use of peat for mulching and top dressing.

Most of the plants we sell are grown in peat-free or reduced-peat media; helping reduce our peat throughput.

 

 

Why are we not completely peat-free already?

At the current time, there is a shortage of reliable alternative raw materials to replace peat and the techniques for growing some plants and crops in peat-free mixes are not always straightforward.

 

The next steps

We plan to offer customers a choice of peat-free composts. We have introduced a multi-buy offer on our multi-purpose peat-free compost to encourage gardeners to try something new.

We will continue to speak with our suppliers on the availability and use of reduced or peat free growing media.

We will continue to speak with our current and potential plant suppliers about reducing/removing the peat content from their products.

 

We will strive to provide clear and up-to-date information and advice to customers who may be switching to peat-free and reduced-peat, so they can make informed decisions.

We will provide our team members with clear and up-to-date information on peat-free and reduced-peat and of our progress as a company on this.

We will continue to be aware of the environmental impact and sustainability of all potential peat substitutes, to ensure that we do not simply replace peat with something equally harmful to the environment.

 

 

 

Thirsk Garden Centre is committed to recognising and accepting the need to provide and manage a safe and environmentally responsible business.

We continually strive to improve our energy and water efficiency, reduce wastage, source product ethically and promote sustainable gardening throughout the business.

To implement this policy we intend to manage our environmental and sustainability efforts by seeking to achieve best practice as follows:

1. Meeting all regulatory requirements
2. Efficient use of energy resources by preventing pollution and minimising consumption
3. Recycling of rainwater
4. Managing and recycling of our waste stream
5. Considering the environmental impact of our purchasing decisions
6. Promoting plants and products associated with a green environment.
7. Promoting green products and fostering environmental awareness.