About Us 4 – Greener Than You’d Think!

Almost every time you read a newspaper, watch TV or listen to the radio you’ll find an article or a discussion about green issues. Whatever we may think about the causes or the reality of the situation, there is no doubt that we all need to consider our impact on the environment locally and in general. As a community business we’ve always been aware that we have a responsibility to our neighbourhood and the wider community, and on green issues we’ve certainly got a role to play. Although most green opinion tends to favour using launderettes over domestic washers and dryers, we still have to try to minimise our impact.

The British Isles & Northern Europe from Space © NASA

 Here’s what we do…

 We supply eco-friendly washing products to our customers, (Ecover and Simply Eco-Smart), and we can refill Ecover laundry liquid, fabric softener and washing-up liquid containers.

 Our washing machines use less water, are faster and more energy-efficient than domestic machines.

 Our water is softened (non-chemically) which reduces wear on the machinery, making it more efficient and last longer.

Our mains supply is metered and we have ‘limiters’ fitted, which reduces water wastage.

 By our use and supplying of eco-friendly products, we have reduced the amount harmful pollutants puts into the drains every day.

 Our dryers are gas-powered, which is far more energy-efficient than electrically powered dryers.

 We recycle paper, card, plastics and glass, which has reduced our landfill waste by up to 60%

 We switch off the machines, lights, radio & heaters when we are closed. In the staff areas, light are only switched on when needed.

 Here’s what you can do…

 Use only eco-friendly washing products.

 Wash at lower temperatures (with modern powders there is often no need to use hot wash, and switching from 40 degrees to 30 degrees uses around 40% less electricity!  Cooler washes won’t kill dust mites, so still use a hot wash for your bed linen).

 Wash larger loads, but don’t overload  machines – that way you’ll use less energy and less water.

 Re-use or recycle your packaging.

 For more advice on eco-friendly washing, visit the netmums site

For general green/eco advice, visit the Friends of the Earth site