Shropshire vets go green with wildlife garden

A Shropshire veterinary group has decided to branch out in a bid to go green, digging up the back yard of its practice to create a wildlife garden.

Quarry Veterinary Group in Shrewsbury has converted the garden at its Brassey Road clinic, introducing flowers, bird feeders and bug houses to help the local area bloom.

Carbon neutral

The practice is also introducing a series of other measures to help keep waste out of the tip and keep themselves carbon neutral.

The green projects are being overseen by vet Charlie Hertel, who has a keen interest in sustainability and the environment.

Responsibility

Dr Hertel said: “Veterinary practices produce a lot of waste, so it is important we take responsibility for our impact on the environment and do as much as we can to protect it. The veterinary profession is caring by nature, so looking after the environment is a natural extension of looking after pets, animals and wildlife.

“As a practice, we want to embrace sustainable ways of working as we know how animals and the planet interact, and it is important that we help as much as possible.”

Next moves

Dr Hertel added: “A lot of work has gone into the garden to make it bee and wildlife friendly. The garden also stores a new compost bin, where food waste, tea bags, grass cuttings, fur clippings and even unused paper cat litter is placed.

“We also laminate urinalysis and blood test sheets so they can be reused, rather than recycling lots of paper. The next move is saving our plastic drip lines and chopping them into small pieces to be reused as non-absorbable cat litter.

“I am also trying to introduce everyone at the practice to using Ecosia as a search engine, which plants trees for every 45 searches.”