Published on: 7th January 2015
Inpatients at our mental health assessment and treatment unit for older adults have built their own greenhouse using old plastic bottles as part of an exciting environmental impact challenge
With the help of staff, inpatients at Witham Court in North Hykeham, participated in the reuse recycle waste challenge set by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to help it meet its sustainability targets in line with the UK Climate Change Act.
After mulling the problem over many cups of tea, the local challenge team hit upon the idea of upcycling the 20 empty milk cartons that they dispose of each day into a greenhouse. Patients and staff worked together to prepare one thousand old milk cartons to construct the greenhouse ‘walls’. As they worked, staff encouraged the patients to reminisce about their experiences of gardening.
As the bottles are stacked they create a natural curve akin to a poly tunnel. Each column of bottles is reinforced with a garden cane, which when anchored into the wooden batten, is kept in place by its own flex. The bottles provide insulation, similar to double-glazing in winter, and as they are opaque, they will help keep the greenhouse cool in summer.
Witham Court’s activity coordinator, Anita Laskey, said: “It’s wonderful to have delivered a therapeutic project which has involved upcycling rubbish to provide a useful facility for the unit and one in which patients and staff have been supported so generously by local businesses.”
Inpatients were presented with national gardening vouchers in recognition of their achievement by members of the Trust’s estates team who set the challenge with its waste services contractor, Veolia.
The greenhouse is made with: 1,035 milk bottles; 40 garden canes donated by Hykeham DIY; timber donated by RJ Laskey Joinery, and bubble wrap donated by Wirtgen Ltd.
