AN ACCOMMODATION provider has been assessing its impact on the environment by looking at what it already does and ways it can change for the better.

Staff at Barrow Island's Maritime Apartments, which provides short and long term rentals, decided they wanted to do their bit for the environment by putting the company on a net zero agenda.

They realised they already have some pieces of the puzzle in place: biomass heating; LED bulbs; sustainable gardens; as well as conscious paper reduction were already ways of working at the firm.

But they wanted to do more, starting with plans to plant a butterfly garden this month, and switching out all the plastic bottles and cleaning products with an eco-friendly refill system by the end of this year.

Maritime has started its ‘Plastic Amnesty’ where after the use of current stock the plastic is collected in a large container where they can really see just how much plastic waste is produced as a business. This includes drinking bottles, cleaning products and other packaging.

The aim is to minimise plastic use to less than 10 per cent of current figures and replace with a more sustainable alternative. This means changing company procedure and re-training staff but Maritime feels this is the only way forward - not only for them, but for all sustainable businesses.

Office manager Lauren Clow said: “As a local business it is important that we take advantage of our size and implement quick changes where possible.

"Something like our plastic amnesty would be difficult in a corporation but we can start this today as a team and see it through, if everyone did this now we would be in a much better position globally by 2035, so we are just doing our bit right now because we can.”

Maritime Apartments want to be the first net zero accommodation provider in the town and have committed to plant a tree for every person who stays with them until the end of the year.

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