Today is World Environment Day, which throws a spotlight on plastic pollution and the need to act now to tackle the devasting impact of this waste on our planet.
At Willmott Dixon, we have accelerated moves to eradicate single-use plastics from our offices in line with our Now or Never ambition to eliminate all single-use plastic and other avoidable waste from the business by 2030.
Reaching a significant milestone, we have bid farewell to plastic milk cartons, making the switch to glass milk bottles across the majority of our offices nationwide. This move saves around approximately 6,000 single-use plastic items each year.
We must turn the tide on plastic waste with the construction industry one of the UK’s biggest contributors, generating an estimated 50,000 tonnes of waste plastic packaging each year.
In addition to the switch to glass milk bottles, we have identified 19 other single-use plastic items we have eradicated from our offices since the launch of Now or Never in 2020, including plastic bottles, cups, stirrers, and spoons.
Our ambition is to introduce a new circular approach to the packaging and protection we use throughout our operations to make sure it can be reused as part of a circular economy. It is an approach that has already succeeded with timber. We now reuse more than 20,000 pallets each year across our sites, saving around 4,500m3 of waste from landfill.
By embracing reusable alternatives, we foster a culture of sustainability in the business and engage our people in collective action to address environmental challenges.
As World Environment Day reminds us of the urgent need to protect our planet, our transition to glass milk bottles shows that even small changes can make an impact. Together, we can turn the tide on plastic pollution by taking conscious decisions to avoid waste and reuse or recycle products to make sure we leave a cleaner world for future generations.
Read more about our sustainability strategy here.