Sustainable Practice

At Garden Veterinary Group, we want to do everything we can to help reduce our carbon footprint, be environmentally friendly and protect our planet. Over the past few years, we have been making changes to help make our clinic more environmentally friendly. So what have we need up to?

• We switched to recycled paper for all of our printing. All of our paper comes in recyclable packaging and is made from recycled materials. We print double sided whenever possible to save paper
• We have placed recycling bins in all of our consult rooms and offices. All of our team members are conscious about the environment and we encourage all of our team members to recycle what we can
• We also encourage all of our team members to use reusable water bottles and coffee cups while at work
• We switched to recyclable packaging on all of our consumables where possible. The paper packaging for all of our syringes and needles is recyclable
• We switched to biodegradable dog poo bags
• We buy large bottles of ultrasound gel, washing up liquid, hand soap, hand sanitiser and cleaning solutions to decant into reusable plastic bottles
• We are recycling all of our non-contaminated PPE (masks, aprons and gloves) via Terracycle. This was done throughout all of the Covid-19 pandemic as well
• We are part of a pet food packet recycling scheme
• Our milk is delivered in glass milk bottles instead of buying plastic bottles
• We are taking part in the Bee Friendly Practice scheme which involves creating a bee and other insect friendly wildflower garden- look out for our flower garden in Spring 2023!
• We grow our own herbs for our rabbit and guinea pig patients
• We encourage all of our staff members to switch off appliances when not in use and be mindful of our water usage
• We now use recyclable cardboard pharmaceutical bins for responsible and environmentally friendly medication disposal
• We use reusable fabric surgical drapes where appropriate, which can be sterilised for each patient
• We use recyclable sterilisation pouches for all of our sterilisation equipment
• We have a water purifier and reusable plastic bottles to make our own sterile water for our sterilisation machines
• Medication is handed out in recyclable paper dispensing bags
• We use wood based biodegradable cat litter for all of our feline patients
• We use environmental friendly companies and wholesalers where possible
• Our confidential waste is collected, shredded and then recycled
• We use bamboo tooth brushes to clean our clipper blades
• We use reusable and washable cloths over paper towels where appropriate
• When our plastic dog and cat food and water bowls need replacing, we replace them with a bamboo alternative
• We use biodegradable paper cotton buds or bamboo cotton buds whenever possible
• Our buster collars are made from 80% recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable
• We use the Ecosia search engine on all of our computers. Ecosia donates 80% of their profits to plant trees where they are needed most
• We also encourage clients to use oral flea/worm medications where possible. Click this link to find out more: Topical Treatment and the Environment