Oxfordshire stately home Blenheim Palace has become the latest British attraction to announce plans to cut plastic waste on its grounds.
The 300-year old estate said on Friday it is phasing-out single use plastics by replacing plastic straws with paper ones, banning the sale of plastic water bottles and using china instead of paper cups in its cafes. Meanwhile, bin liners are now biodegradeable and disposable cutlery is compostable.
Blenheim Palace’s sustainability advisor Jacqueline Gibson said the estate was also sharing its plastic waste knowhow with other shops and organisations in the local area.
“We are working in partnership with Friends of the Earth Oxford and Sustainable Woodstock, to share best practice with other local shops and organisations to reduce single use plastic,” she said.
“In the past year we have provided environmental training to 82 per cent of staff, commissioned external consultants to host a Waste Workshop for senior teams, and standardised the way waste is segregated and stored for recycling across all offices and work areas,” she added.
The drive to eliminate single-use plastics forms part of Blenheim’s Palace’s wider sustainability strategy, which includes a target to become a net producer of renewable energy over the next decade via its solar array, hydro-powered cylinder and two biomass boilers.
Source: businessgreen.com
