World Earth Day 2024: Our Commitment to Plastic Reduction

World Earth Day 2024

Each year, Earth Day has a new theme that focuses on a specific environmental concern. The Earth Day 2024 theme is the Planet vs. Plastics.

The theme is all about getting everyone talking about plastic pollution, cutting back on single-use plastics, saying no to fast-fashion, supporting tech that helps reduce plastic, and pushing for a big 60% drop in plastic production by 2024.

As we celebrate our 20th year in business, we’ve always kept our planet in mind – both for today and tomorrow. Here are some key ways that we’re doing our part to help cut down on plastic and promote sustainability, not just in what we offer, but also our company efforts.

Cutting Down on Plastic

As a business, to help cut down on the use of plastic, we have stopped shrink-wrapping all of our reconditioned stairlifts and lifts. Instead, we re-use and recycle the cardboard boxes that we receive for new products. This has dramatically reduced our plastic consumption and is just one of the ways that we commit to the sustainability of the planet.

We also recycle all recyclable plastics. That means that all product packaging, containers, bottles, drums, trays, and plastic stairlift parts, are cleaned and recycled professionally. Our recyclable plastics are recycled by Wiltshire Waste, where we support the three R’s, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. It’s our way of saving resources, cutting down on carbon emissions, and sending less plastic to the landfill.

All of our staff are committed to the reduction of plastic too! Our team regularly use their own lunch boxes and water bottles, to help reduce the use of plastic lunch packages and plastic bottles. The daily plastics that we do use, are rinsed and put in the plastic recycle bins that we have at our office.

Second Life for Stairlifts and Home Lifts

When lifts are no longer needed in their original home, with our removal service, we’ll professionally take them out and give them a new life elsewhere as a reconditioned lift, or we’ll break them down, recycle and dispose of them responsibly as a certified Waste Carrier Licence holder.

Whenever we can, we prefer to give stairlifts that have been kept in a good condition a second chance. It’s a win-win, resulting in less materials and manufacturing for new ones, and supporting sustainability as a business. We give all reconditioned lifts a thorough check, safety inspection, and clean before being used as reconditioned lifts. Opting for a reconditioned lift not only saves you money, but also positively contributes to the environment.

We also offer rental options for those who anticipate needing a lift for a short time, or prefer renting over purchasing. The rental models that we provide are sourced from our reconditioned stocklist.

Furthermore, we’ll also make efforts to reuse parts wherever safe to and possible, reducing the need for additional manufacturing processes.

Minimising Fossil Fuel Dependency

Since 2013, our Head Office has relied on a Biomass Boiler to heat our workshop and offices. Unlike conventional gas boilers, biomass boilers utilise sustainably sourced wood pellets instead of fossil fuels, like gas, for heat production. The wood pellets we utilise, are sourced from responsibly managed forests in the UK and Ireland. For every tree harvested, a new one is planted in its place.

Furthermore, the long-term impact on climate change is prevented by utilising wood, as the carbon dioxide, (CO2), released during combustion was originally absorbed while the tree was growing. This makes them effectively carbon neutral.

Our Biomass Boiler saved a whopping 11.14 tonnes of CO2 in 2022, compared to using fossil fuels. To put it in perspective, saving 1 ton of CO2 is like driving 23,000 miles – that’s like circling the globe once in a car! So, in just one year, we saved enough carbon to drive around the world over 11 times!

Additional Initiatives Include:

• We are completely paperless, facilitated by our customised Customer Relations Management software. All documentation is stored electronically, eliminating the need for hard copies.
• Our van fleet prioritises eco-friendliness, although they’re not electric yet due to mileage requirements. However, all our vans are equipped with the latest Euro 6 engines.
• We source our toilet paper for our Head Office from Who Gives A Crap. Their products are 100% recycled, free from plastic, and biodegradable.
• Our building’s LED lights are motion-activated, ensuring energy is not wasted by leaving lights on unnecessarily.
• We optimise route planning for our Engineers and Surveyors, to minimise fuel wastage and reduce pollution.
• We constantly seek ways to enhance our sustainability practices with integrity and responsibility, all while ensuring our customers can depend on us.