Plastic Free North Devon - Beeswax Wraps

Here at the farm we are trying hard to help North Devon become free of single use plastics. The raised awareness of plastic pollution in the sea and the complete devastation it can cause to our marine life has created a need for alternatives to single-use plastic and inspired us to do better …not easy as we have found but we are determined to keep trying!

Throughout 2018 we ran a competition here at the farm to look at ways in which we could rid ourselves of single use plastics. Thank you to everyone who entered, our winner was Sally and her family from Guildford,who suggested equipping the cottages with re-useable sandwich wraps to avoid cling film use. A fabulous prize from the Wild Tribe Heroes is on its way to you and the girls, congratulations!

Working with #PlasticFree NorthDevon and www.2minute.org #2minutebeachclean we are continuing to make changes to the way we do things in the future.

Our plastic free pledge has so far seen several changes already.

In housekeeping for example, wherever possible, we now re-use as many bottles as we can, re-filling them instead of replacing them. Bin bags are bio-degradable too (higher cost sadly but worth it we hope) Items are bought in bulk to reduce plastic waste and much more proactive searching goes on for ways to keep improving

Our celebration season can often be a time of plastic excess. Last year we made conscious efforts to change this and all parties had a ban on plastic disposable plates, cups and cutlery  and were replaced with either washable or compostable paper ones.

Cling film has also been removed from the cottages (thanks to Sally!) and instead you will now find foil and elasticated washable, re-useable food covers which can also be used in a microwave. Waxed papers for wrapping food up in  (useful for days out at the beach perhaps?) are also available locally (our own Quince Honey Farm and Griffins Yard do some lovely ones)...we are going to also try and make our own this year so watch this space :) 

Our welcome cream teas will have either one of these covers or a metal/glass cloche depending on the size of the plate! Please wash these and keep them safe until you leave.

The farm itself is relatively low on plastic waste which is great. In general almost all of our animal feed comes in huge paper bags (with a couple of exceptions …these we are working on including sourcing biodegradable gloves for own Farm Hands club)     

We recognise however that we can do that bit more when we go out and about. For this reason we are very pleased to support the #2minutebeachclean initiative by purchasing some canvas beach clean bags which will be available to any of our families who would like to get involved and help. Pop into reception and just ask to borrow a bag if you are going out anywhere,but particularly to the beach;

How to get involved-

*Spend 2 minutes picking up plastics.

*Snap it on your phone

*Tag it #2minutebeachclean #northhaynefarm  OR #2minutelitterpick

*upload it to Twitter or Instagram

*Put the plastic rubbish in the nearest recycling bin or bring it back to the farm for disposal.

*Return your bag to reception for washing.

See the results at www.2minute.org

Feel free to take  #TedBear with you… he is quite an environment supporter too!   

Beach cleans around North Devon are essential if we want to protect our marine wildlife. Every little piece of rubbish is a piece that could end up in our seas. Millions of children around the world are now doing this fun and free activity to help save our planet but do watch out for sharp objects though. If you prefer to take part in an organised beach clean please let us know and we will see if one is running locally during your stay.

Thank you for supporting our efforts and for doing what you can while you are with us. If you have any thoughts on how we can keep improving we would love to hear them-pop your ideas onto a card in our Games Room -it could win a prize.