Reducing plastic waste on your Suffolk holiday

Decades have gone by where many of us have chosen convenience over the environment. At Woodfarm, we are constantly rethinking and improving the ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment. We want our guests to be able to enjoy a clean, safe Suffolk for years to come!

From takeaway cups to plastic shopping bags, the choices that we have made in the past have quickly caught up on us, seriously impacting the world around us.

Very recently, however, we’ve seen a sizeable shift in the way our society views the environment. Thanks, in large part, to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, many people are reconsidering their choices when it comes to single use plastics.

While we’re making more eco-friendly decisions at home, such as recycling, upcycling and composting, there’s no reason that we should act differently on holiday. There are numerous different ways you can look after the environment away from home, like riding a bike or walking to places of interest instead of driving, or spending five minutes picking up litter on the beach before you sit down to sunbathe.

Felixstowe beach, Suffolk — Spending five minutes picking up litter on the beach can help make Suffolk a cleaner, safer place for everyone

If you’re planning a holiday in Suffolk, you’ll find that it’s very easy to be more eco-friendly here. There are public recycling bins dotted throughout towns, and a number of cafes and restaurants here have even made the decision to ban straws.

At Woodfarm, we are constantly rethinking and improving the ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment. We want our guests to be able to enjoy a clean, safe Suffolk for years to come!

Here are just a few ways that you can reduce your plastic waste on your Suffolk holiday.

1. Keep cups

Re-usable coffee cups — Our ‘keep cups’ eliminate single-use coffee cups, and you can take them home after you leave us!

Takeaway cups are at the centre of the single use plastic crisis, with over 99.75% of these cups being unrecyclable. But if retailers won’t come up with a better way to provide us with coffee, it’s sadly up to us to make the change.

However, bringing a reusable cup to a coffee shop isn’t too hard. And if you don’t have one of your own, don’t worry! At Woodfarm, we have ‘keep cups’ that are 100% reusable, and which you can take with you wherever you go. In fact, you are welcome to take these reusable cups home with you after your stay with us. They are our gift to you.

2. Shopping bags

Fruit and vegetables at Hog & Hen Farm Shop — Arm yourself with a re-usable bag and head down to the nearby Hog & Hen Farm Shop for an array of fresh food

Whether you reuse your old plastic bags, or you get your hands on a sturdy canvas tote bag, bringing your own bag to the farm shop or supermarket is a great way to reduce your plastic waste.

Most reusable shopping bags are inexpensive, with some supermarkets selling them for as little as 10p. Just stick one in your handbag or pocket while you’re on holiday, so that you’re prepared for any shopping endeavours. Why not stop by the nearby Hog & Hen Farm Shop for their mouthwatering collection of cheeses, meats and treats? Say that you’re a guest of Woodfarm, and they’ll look after you.

3. Biodegradable dog poop bags

Here at Woodfarm, the majority of our guests are dog owners. We love it when our guests are responsible and pick up after their dogs; however, unless you are using non-biodegradable dog poop bags you are potentially adding to the millions of tonnes of plastic which ends up in landfills.

If you stay with us, you’ll be delighted to learn that we provide biodegradable dog poop bags, in our own branded holders. These bags are environmentally friendly, as they decompose under composting conditions. As with the coffee cups, please take these home, they are our gift to you.

4. Woodfarm Bins

We’ve always encouraged our guests to separate recycling from general waste, as well as having composting bins and bottle boxes. So if you do have plastic, then at least we can recycle much of it. One of my favourite jobs is heading off to the nearby bottle bank every couple of weeks (ok, maybe not one of my favourite jobs!). Our composting bins are great for the Woodfarm plants.

Recycling bins at Woodfarm, doing our bit for the environment

5. Preparing a picnic

Suffolk local food hamper — Feel free to nab some of the bits from our free food hamper for your picnic

Suffolk is the perfect place to have a picnic. With many beaches, parks and greens throughout the county, the best way to enjoy them is to bring a blanket and your favourite foods for a relaxing afternoon in the sun.

Bringing a picnic with you on a day out is not only an enjoyable experience, but it can also help in reducing plastic waste. Instead of buying ready-to-eat pre-packed goods in a supermarket, try making your own sandwiches, creating salads in tupperware boxes, or even taking some of the food that we provide in our delicious breakfast hampers with you.

We even have picnic blankets and sets in our places for you!

Wherever you decide to go on holiday, we hope that these tips will help you in cutting down on single use plastic. We hope you consider Woodfarm Barns or Woodfarm Barges as your next holiday destination, and if you would like to know more about our dog-friendly holiday cottages, click here.