When we set up angli-EAR Hearing five years ago, doing our best for the environment was always something we had resolutely on our minds.
We have tried, where possible, to be use as few resources as possible to do our little bit to help the environment. We have set our clinic and back-office processes up efficiently, so that we can do 99% of our administrative work through electronic forms to save printing documents. A paper version is always available if needed, but it’s not our first option.
We have recycling bins in the clinic for battery recycling. It is estimated in the UK that each year we throw away 600 million batteries, which go to landfill. The hazardous chemicals in batteries can also have a negative impact if they leak. We were so happy when the hearing aid manufacturers developed hearing devices which are rechargeable with a functional battery life.
When we offer our clients teas and coffees when they come for an appointment, we always ensure we recycle the Nespresso coffee pods by returning them back to Nespresso. We did look at refillable pods, but you don’t get the same great taste. This is something we are always reviewing though.
We also give the outer boxes and packaging of parcels delivered to the clinic to a resident on Woollards Lane. They run a business, which means they can reuse the boxes to post items out to their customers. This saves them not only having boxes delivered, but also saves on the processing of recycling boxes if we put them in our recycling bin. They truly are re-used and upcycled.
We have also worked closely with hearing aid manufacturers to put pressure on them to be more environmentally aware of items they send to us. Each time we purchase a hearing aid for a client, we are sent small plastic markers to indicate which is left and right (blue and red). We return the unused markers to the manufacturers so they can reuse them.
Since the start of the pandemic, and with our stringent Covid procedures, we have used tens of thousands of face masks. This wastage has always been something of a concern, until we recently found the company ReWorked. ReWorked has developed a fantastic solution to recycle PPE to create new products from the waste material. The PPE materials are washed, shredded and mixed to create recycled boards which can be use for building materials, furniture and even more.
We’ve also been looking at vehicles. A few members of the angli-EAR Hearing team drive fully electric vehicles and we are looking at installing a charging station to help encourage our clients to use electric cars.
The next time you are passing the clinic, please pop in with your used batteries and used PPE and you can help us do our little bit to minimise our impact on our amazing environment.
If you would like more information about the recycling schemes mentioned above, please find links below:
ReWorked mask recycling.
Nespresso pod recycling.
Battery recycling.
