Garden centre receives funding to help reduce its waste
The Old Railway Garden Centre in Powys has received funding from a government-backed organisation to help reduce its waste going to landfill in the area.
The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Cymru has granted funding to pay for an assessment of waste produced by the centre’s Railway Restaurant.
Katie Cleary, Shop Manager at The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, which is located at Three Cocks near Hay-on-Wye, said: “We believe looking after the environment is extremely important so we are looking forward to working with WRAP Cymru to minimise the waste we create and reduce the amount sent to landfill.
“A management consultant will be visiting our restaurant to assess how much waste we produce. They will then put their findings into a report for us with recommendations on how we can reduce the amount and make cost effective savings.”
The Welsh Government has set a target to achieve zero waste by 2050 and every business participating in the WRAP Cymru project will contribute to the achievement of this target.
WRAP Cymru works with businesses and individuals to help them reap the benefits of reducing the amount of waste they produce and recycle more. It provides grants of up to £50,000 plus consultancy worth up to £10,000 for hospitality, tourism and food businesses that want to prevent waste and cut their costs.
Huw Lloyd, Business Account Manager at WRAP Cymru, said: “It is great news that The Old Railway Line Garden Centre is one of the first businesses to benefit from this support. We look forward to working with the garden centre to identify ways to reduce its waste.
“Every tonne of food waste costs a business £1,800, so there are potentially big savings to be made. Cutting waste isn’t just about being green, it can deliver real business benefits too.”
The garden centre currently recycles food, glass, plastic and cardboard in recycling bins. It also has an extensive system in place that was installed to remove any grease from the pipes leaving the kitchen area.
The grease is then taken away by one of the garden centre’s customers with a duty of care waste transfer note and is re-used as fuel.
