Our Environmental Responsibilities

We are committed as a business to minimise the impact our cottages have on the environment in this beautiful area and we recognise our responsibilities. Some of the ways we are doing this are:-

Recycling and Purchasing

We recycle paper, tins, plastic and glass bottles, batteries and silver foil and garden waste .
We have installed water butts and we use the recycled rainwater for the garden and vegetable patch.
We re-use office paper, plastic bags, feed bags etc and try to keep refuse to a minimum.
Toilet paper, kitchen roll etc is made from recycled paper.
We provide 100% degradable refuse and waste bin sacks for your use for refuse that cannot be recycled.
Guests with dogs are provided with a supply of bio degradable disposal bags.

Use of Energy

We have opted for electricity produced from renewable sources.
Thermostatic valves on radiators save energy.
To conserve energy we are moving to replace all existing bulbs where possible, with low energy bulbs.
We line dry washing where possible.
We have installed efficient oil fired boilers.
When purchasing new electrical appliances we ensure they are energy efficient.
We use e-mail & our website to promote and administer Old Rectory Cottages where possible, reducing the amount of paper used.

Enjoying Nature

Binoculars, books, maps and guides are provided for bird-watchers, walkers, nature-lovers etc.
Birds are encouraged with nest-boxes and bird baths and year round feeding in the garden.
We continue to plant large amounts of native hedging and trees to attract birds and other wildlife.
We also encourage other wildlife by creating dead wood piles and using insect attractive plants.
We have created a large wildlife pond, which is lined with naturally occurring puddled clay rather than a plastic liner.
Our fruit orchard which we began to plant in 2006 is being managed in a traditional manner. We have planted a range of fruit trees (apples, pears & plums) on half standard rootstocks which are being grown in unimproved grassland.As the trees mature they will create ideal food sources and habitats for other wildlife to use, such as mosses and lichens, fungi, and numerous species of mammals, insects and birds.
We host 2 bee hives on behalf of The Bungay Community Bees - A project to help the threatened honey bee.The amount of clover, fruit trees and other trees make it an ideal location for the hives and also helps the pollination of our trees.
We are beginning to develop an area of the field as a wildflower area and in our field & orchard we try to follow a mowing programme that is sympathetic to plants & wildlife.
We try to minimise the use of chemicals in the garden.
We are happy to show guests around and talk about what we’ve done and other nature conservation projects we are planning.

Keeping it Local – Saving Fuel Emissions

We shop locally for our meat and vegetables and buy as much British food as possible, the menus we offer make use of fresh, local, seasonal produce.
Home made cakes, biscuits and marmalade in your welcome pack are made by us and the eggs are laid by our chickens.
As our trees mature, our menus are beginning to include fruit harvested from our trees.
There is plenty of information in each cottage giving details of local attractions, activities and nearby walks.

Guest Participation

We hope that guests will support us in an effort to conserve energy, by simply turning off lights that are not needed, ensuring that the heating thermostat is not unnecessarily high, and we ask that guests use water considerately.
We encourage guests to recycle and provide facilities to recycle glass, cardboard, paper, tins and plastics.
We encourage guests to shop locally, to visit local pubs and restaurants.
We welcome guest’s comments and suggestions on how we can improve on our environmental policy.