Although having a well-designed, visually beautiful garden has always been important to gardeners, individuals are now more conscious than ever of the need to create an environmentally friendly garden.
Choosing sustainable options doesn’t always mean that you have to compromise on your desired aesthetics. Gardening sustainably is also more cost-effective when using recycled materials, natural resources, and less upkeep. However, it shouldn’t only be down to the individuals at home to worry about climate change – what are gardening and outdoor companies doing to help?
Composite decking brand, Ultra Decking, are keen to focus on driving people to help make sustainable choices for their gardens. They supply composite decking, made for this reason – which is made by combining materials to create a sustainable alternative to timber. As the name suggests – is made up of a mixture of elements, rather than simply pure wood or plastic. Allan Jeffrey, Manager at Ultra Decking, states, “Composite decking not only provides practical benefits, it’s ethically-made and socially responsible”.
The usage of plastic in composite materials can raise concerns, however Ultra Decking uses recycled materials, including HDPE derived from waste items like milk bottles and plastic bags, in their composite. This not only results in less wood being used (and fewer trees being cut down) to make each plank, but it also means that composite decking can last longer before it needs to be replaced.
As a result, Ultra Decking has saved the equivalent of almost 180 forests, and in less than 24 months they’ve also saved the equivalent of 1 billion plastic caps from landfills. Now, imagine the impact if every company did this?
There’s much to learn from Ultra Deckings’ drive to be sustainable; they have fitted solar panels to their factory and redesigned their pallets to help make them more environmentally friendly. And their good work doesn’t stop here, they have also supported national charity, Well Child, by providing many isolated children with low maintenance eco-friendly gardens, allowing them to relax.
