At Westport Vets, we are very aware of our responsibility toward the environment, and are constantly striving to improve our practices and reduce any detrimental impact that we have on the planet.
Across our three branches, we have steadily been making changes behind the scenes, as well as front of house. Unfortunately, being a medical industry, there are some things which we are not able to reduce our use of, or recycle. This is mainly for infection control reasons or because legislation surrounding the industry would not be compatible with doing so.
We are committed to continuing to improve, but recognise that this may mean some changes to what our clients are used to. Some of the things you may have noticed begin to change are:
- Reusable cloth bags instead of plastic bags
- Cardboard prescription boxes instead of plastic medication bags
- Information sheets/receipts being emailed instead of printed
- Reusing (cleaned) fluid bags as protective boots for patients with paw bandages
- Having toys and bowls available to buy which are made from recycled materials
Behind the scenes, we are making big changes too:
- Making Eco Bricks from out single use plastic (these are a brilliant solution to what to do with your un-recyclable plastic – see https://www.ecobricks.org/what for more information)
- Increased recycling where possible – we are going to chart our success in this area and will let you know how we are getting on!
- Use of reusable cloths for cleaning instead of paper towel
- Drying washing outside or on rails instead of using the tumble dryer
- Using an Eco Egg for laundry instead of liquid
- Turning off computers at night
- Turning off lights when rooms are not in use
- Using refillable hand soap dispensers
- Using cat litter made from recycled materials
- Reusing large bottles for warming patient’s bedding and also to store distilled water in
These lists are not exhaustive and we are always looking into new ways reduce our impact on the environment (in fact we always have new plans in the pipeline!). As such, we are very much open to suggestions and welcome any feedback from our clients. Please contact your local Westport Vets branch if you have any ideas of how we can do even more!
The health and well-being of your pets will always come first at Westport, and this will be taken into account during all processes of decision making and before any changes are implemented; so you can rest-assured that these changes will be only positive, and not impact upon the dedicated care that we provide to our patients.