Eco care home ditches wet wipes and plastic cups

Belvedere House care home in Surrey estimates it has prevented 52,000 plastic cups and 22,000 wet wipes from ending up in landfill by ditching single-use plastic.

The care home run by The Royal Alfred Seafarers Society, which cares for 68 residents, has implemented an environmental plan which includes reducing the home’s reliance on fossil fuels over the last three years by installing solar panels, which have cut electricity bills by around 15 per cent.

In addition, the home’s sustainable pellet-fired biomass boiler has reduced gas usage by around 20 per cent and a 135m borehole has also been sunk to supply fresh water at a projected saving of £8,000 per year, allowing the charity to invest in facilities for the home and its residents.

Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt, chief executive of the Society, said: “As a not-for-profit organisation, we have to manage the challenge of keeping costs down where possible while delivering an outstanding level of innovative care to all our residents that depend on us for a good quality of life.

"While investing in green technology was a big investment for the home, not only are we beginning to reap the financial rewards, but can be proud of our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.”

He added: “Our staff have been pivotal to this and the fact they have prevented thousands of unnecessary single-use plastic objects from being thrown away demonstrates our ability as a collective society to drive meaningful environmental change.”

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