Merryhatton and the environment
At Merryhatton we recognise the importance of caring for the environment and aim reduce our impact as far as we can in the following ways:
Reduce pollution emissions & waste:
Reduce food waste
To minimise food waste, we:
regularly review and update our menu
offer customers the option to take home their leftovers
monitor food waste levels
Recycle where possible
We recycle our:
glass, plastic & metal
food waste & spent cooking oil
cardboard & paper
Minimise food miles
To minimise our food miles we:
Buy locally where possible
Focus on seasonal produce where we can
Reduce the use of raw materials & fossil fuels:
Generate our own electricity
We installed photo-voltaic panels on the roof of the garden centre building in 2011, and with this system we are able to continue to generate electricity throughout the year even when light levels are relatively low in our Scottish winters.
The electricity generated helps to run our ground source heat pump which heats the building.
Efficient heating
Our buildings are heated by a ground source heat pump which runs our underfloor heating system. With this, for every unit of energy used to run the heat pump, between 3 and 4 units of heat energy is delivered to the building.
This compares to electric, gas or oil systems where one unit of energy in delivers a maximum of one unit heat energy out.
As far as we’re aware, this is the most efficient means of heating available.
We consider the impact of our purchasing decisions:
Plant health & biosecurity
We believe that biosecurity is one of the most important responsibilities that a plant retailer has, and as a member of the HTA we follow the agreed protocols designed to protect plant health in the UK.
Peat alternatives
We will always offer a non-peat compost for our customers.
We will only deal with growers who trial alternative growing media and use compost from suppliers complying with government directives to reduce peat content.
Sustainable timber
We will only work with manufactures who comply with the responsible forestry scheme. This ensures that trees are responsibly harvested and replanted..
This symbol is your guarantee of responsible forestry.
In our garden centre we also:
Utilise non-chemical controls
Hand weeding, pruning dead or diseased parts, companion planting and careful and appropriate feeding and watering regimes all optimise plant health and so minimise or avoid the use of chemicals.
Practice good husbandry
Simple steps such as sweeping benches regularly and ensuring good air flow around the plants reduces the possibility of disease and helps avoid the need for chemical intervention.
Quality plants
We source quality plants from reputable growers, inspect them on arrival and communicate any issues immediately to the grower.
We follow best practice guidelines as identified by our trade association.