Environmental Policy

 

Peat Free

Peat is a natural material found in marshy conditions such as Peatlands. Peatlands are one of the world's most important carbon stores - when they're drained, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere where it contributes to greenhouse gases and global warming, not forgetting that harvesting peat wipes out rare eco-systems.

Did you know? Over 95% of the UK’s Peatbogs have become degraded or destroyed.

We need to help save our Peatlands. We like to educate our customers so they can make informed choices regarding peat free compost.

Peat might be cheap – but it costs the earth!

We stock great compost and soil alternatives without using up those precious peat resources that we have left!

Did you know? We were one of the first Garden Centres in England to sell our very own Peat Free Potting Compost!! 

Wholesale nurseries have been given the deadline of 2030 to stop using peat in production. W.D.Smith made huge steps in beating that target and by the end of 2022 were peat-free for all finished product grown for Meadow Croft.

 

Sustainable Products 

We are passionate about sourcing sustainable products. In our gift shop, our POM sunglasses are made from recycled polycarbonate, we have a whole range of recycled vases and glasses from Nkuku, Namaste supply us with a range of ethical handcrafted eco-friendly homewares, Seedballs are a range of  UKnative wildflowers which benefit our local ecosystems and many of our food /drink items are made in Essex. 

Across the rest of the garden centre, we endeavour to source all wooden items with FSC certification. Many items across the centre are made of recycled materials such as;  Rugs, Bird Feeders, Gorilla Tubs, Dog Toys & Beds, Water Butts and much more! 

Our composts are all peat free.  All plants grown for meadow croft have been peat free since 2022 and we were one of the first garden centres in England to retail our own brand of peat free potting compost. 

 

FSC Policy 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. It was founded in 1993 in respond to public concerns about deforestation, and demand for a trustworthy wood-labelling scheme. 

Where possible, all of our wooden garden products have been sustainably sourced and hold FSC certification. If you would like more information, please speak to a member of staff.

 

Re-using Plastic Bags & Cardboard Boxes

We don’t hide the fact that we don’t like to use plastic bags so we have a selection of paper bags in various sizes in store.

Plastic carry trays are used again in our outdoor plants area, so for anyone who would like to use them, go ahead.

We recycle all cardboard boxes that are delivered to us by letting you use them to take home your purchases. You’ll find the big cardboard box bins behind the tills. Help yourselves!

 

Recycling & Waste

All of our waste including food & oil is separated into different bins to enable our waste company to recycle it. All of our plant waste is composted and is used across the site.

We offer our used coffee grounds to customers to take home and spread it around their gardens. Any food we don’t use that is of good quality goes to a homeless charity. Our takeaway food traysand boxes are all compostable.

All plastic pots and containers on our nursery (WD Smith & Son) are produced from recycled material and can be recycled again along with your curb side collection.

In our restaurant, Meadow Croft Kitchen, we offer takeaway options for coffee & cakes. These are all served in recylable or compostable packaging.

 

Throughout the garden centre, we have changed all of our posters & signage to a polyester based plastic which is recyclable. The material is durable and waterproof designed for use in harsh conditions. The inks used in the printer are water and UV resistant, which last longer and reduce the amount of printing throughout the centre.

 

We believe in re-using as many materials and displays as possible. Our merchandising team do their best to reuse as many materials as possible within all of their displays. We have also recently relocated our Houseplant Department, and created a pergola display using upcycled pallets, recycled wooden beams, re-used wooden crates and would you believe an old coffee hut!  

 

 

Chemicals & Biological Control

We have a wide range of non-glyphosate weed killers available in store.

We also offer plant food and bug, slug and weed killers that are organic and bee friendly. We are also agents of a biological control range.

Our nursery is an industry leader in the user of natural enemies (biological control) to control pests and diseases in glasshouse crops in the UK.

 

Plant Miles

Approximately 75% of the garden plants sold at Meadow Croft Garden Centre are grown on our nurseries just across the road. This means we only use approximately 130 delivery miles in a year for 75% of our plants.

Another 7.5% of plants are grown locally in Battlesbridge and 96% of our garden plants are English and grown within 100 miles of Meadow Croft.

 

Renewable Energy

Over 6.5 acres of our glasshouses are heated by biomass boilers. Biomass boilers are fuelled by a renewable energy source instead of traditional fossil fuels. We grow 80 acres of willow which gets cut back and turned into woodchip to burn our boilers. The willow grows back and is harvested every 3 years.

We have 54 solar panels installed on our nursery and 224 panels on our restaurant roof to help towards producing our own electricity. We have replaced all lighting to LED to reduce energy loads. We have also replaced all lighting to LED to reduce energy loads.

 

Supporting Local

Throughout the Garden Centre we do our best to support local businesses. 

Meadow Croft Kitchen  use many local suppliers; Traymore Butchers  in Dunmow, New  Hall Wines in Chelmsford, Direct Seafoods  in Colchester, Novus Teas  in Maldon, Homemade Bakery in Leigh on Sea & Bizzy Print in Maldon print our menus. Many of our products within the Gift Shop are sourced locally. To give a few examples,  we stock Mighty Oak Brewery from Maldon, Maldon Salt, Tapp’d Cocktails from Leigh on Sea, Tides Fortune Gin from Landermere and Wisdom Art Prints from Brightlingsea and many more!

 

 

Irrigation and Heating

We use the water from our reservoir to irrigate many of the plants grown on our nursery.

All of our ventilation and heating on the nurseries is computer controlled, enabling us to reduce the heating requirements by holding heat in when required and only heating when it is called for.

 

Green Delivery Vehicles

Our nursery delivery lorries meet the strict Euro VI (NOx and PM) emissions standards.

 

EV Charging

We’re excited to announce that electric vehicle charging is now available at Meadow Croft Garden Centre – powered by Opcharge UK!

With two new 7kW Compleo UK eBox Professional chargers installed, you can now conveniently top up your EV while you explore all we have to offer – from plant shopping and delicious dining to a fun round of mini golf!

It’s all part of our commitment to sustainability and making your visit even greener and more enjoyable.

 

Loyalty App Scheme

In order to manage and limit our impact as a business on the environment, we have chosen to opt for just a mobile app rather than a 'plastic' card. This reduces both our paper (printed vouchers & printed receipts) and plastic (card) usage.