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Freedom Leisure are actively working to minimise environmental impact and their teams are focused on this with action and suggestions as to what more they can do.
Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single use plastic which will only be used once before it's binned.
Freedom Leisure have removed blue plastic overshoes from their swimming pools, and removed plastic straws and cutlery from cafes as part of the campaign against single use plastics.
Every day seven million cardboard coffee cups are thrown away but only one in 400 are recycled. Freedom Leisure encourage customers not to use takeaway coffee cups and offer a discount on the cost of a hot drink for bringing a reusable cup or buying one at the counter.
In cafes napkins are only provided on request to help reduce paper waste.
All bottled water comes from Radnor Hills who make their bottles from 51% recycled plastic.
Recycling bins are available in centres to ensure they are recycling as much as they can.
Ivan Horsfall Turner Managing Director at Freedom Leisure says: “There is a growing awareness of the issue of plastic and other waste and we are taking really positive steps towards lessening our impact on the environment and supporting our local authority partners in their ambitions to become carbon neutral. We encourage all our customers to support us with these and any new initiatives that are introduced in our centres.”
Cllr Kevin Davis, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, said: “As we move towards becoming a carbon neutral local authority by 2030, it is vitally important that our partners take measures, such as these taken by Freedom Leisure, to reduce their environmental impact. Only by working together can we make a difference to our environment.”
Cllr Colin Kemp, Portfolio Holder for Woking Leisure Centre and Pool in the Park, said: “I welcome these steps taken by Freedom Leisure to reduce their use of single use plastics. These simple measures are a great start and can make a positive impact. In the long-term, we are investing in our in our leisure infrastructure, such as installing new glazing, as part of our £2 million investment at Pool in the Park, will ensure the pool is warm and energy efficient, helping to support a healthy and environmentally conscious community.”