Top 5 tips to help the environment as an animal lover

Poo bags, litter bags, food bags. It can be challenging to be eco friendly with pets in the family...

But having a pet doesn’t have to cost the earth.

The CDCH team tries hard to be eco friendly as possible. Here are their top tips!

Use compostable poo bags and buy biodegradable cat litter.

Using compostable poo bags and biodegradable litter will significantly reduce the impact their plastic alternative products have on our environment.

At CDCH, we use corn cat litter that is water soluble so all of our cat waste is disposed of in our bio bubble, onsite.

Use eco-friendly cleaning products that aren’t harmful to our environment and are non-toxic to your pets. As a centre, we try our best to avoid harsh chemicals where possible. We love Ecover natural cleaning products and Smoll laundry capsules.

We also opted for The Cheeky Panda plastic free toilet roll.

Make your green space thrive for all wildlife, including your furry family members! There are many plants that pose no risk to dogs and still provide beautiful colours and textures to your garden and a varied habitat for other wildlife.

For example, snapdragons, camellias, roses and sunflowers are just some of the flowers that are not toxic to dogs and cats. You can find even more here.

Our centre is a haven for all wildlife and provides a valuable food source for a number of native species in our area. Our paddocks are planted with non-toxic plants and provide lots of sensory enrichment for our residents.

Recycle and Reuse household items. Before you throw cardboard, loo roll tubes or plastic bottles in your household recycling, have you considered turning these into toys? Using loo roll tubes make great puzzle feeders and old cardboard boxes can be enjoyed as a destruction box for your dog or a safe place for your cat to curl up in. Plastic bottles can be turned into simple treat dispensers and paper bags used by rabbits as a foraging toy.

Buy products with recyclable or compostable packaging and avoid plastic products where you can. It is more common for larger supermarkets to offer soft plastic recycling schemes. These schemes offer people the ability to save all of their soft plastics (such as dry pet food bags, carrier bags and crisp packets) and drop them off at a participating store to save them from ending up in landfill. These soft plastics get recycled and made into other products to avoid a huge amount of plastic waste polluting our planet.

There are many types of eco-friendly pet toys in the market. We sell a number of toys made from rice husk rubber and plant materials in our shop.

Other ways to make a difference

Refillable drinks container: The UK uses 7 million disposable coffee cups EVERYDAY. When you are next having a lovely day out with your four legged friend, why not consider purchasing a reusable coffee cup? Similarly, invest in a refillable water bottle to avoid disposable plastic ending up in landfill.
Collect pet food pouches for teracycle: Here at CDCH, our animal care team collect both our dry dog and cat food bags to be recycled at our local supermarket. You can do this at home and find your local, participating shop or collection point on the Terracycle website.
Upcycle old clothes into pet bedding: Clearing out some old clothes? Handy with a sewing machine? Then why not try and repurpose all of that fabric into a bed or blanket for a furry friend? Get creative and start upcycling.
Shop at the CDCHs charity shops! Our 7 shops are spread throughout Gloucestershire and stock amazing bargains. From clothes to furniture and everything in between!
Reuse household recycling: at CDCH, our team are always trying to think of fun and innovative ways to keep our dogs and cats mentally and physically stimulated. Some of the best enrichment comes from your typical household recycling! Reuse cardboard for destruction boxes, puzzle feeders or even a cosy cat bed. Use loo roll tubes and paper bags as foraging toys for your small furries. The best part about using these items is that you didn’t have to spend any money or go to much effort and once they are finished with, they can be recycled.
Make your food go further: If you are rabbit or guinea pig lovers like us, then you may already treat your small furries to some occasional treats like carrots and apples. But what do you do with all of your vegetable peelings when making a Sunday roast? These can also be given to your small furries as a yummy treat and it means you will practically have zero waste from preparing your delicious meal. You could soak your vegetable peelings in water, and your plants will be grateful for a nourishing drink! Alternatively, save any offcuts or vegetable peelings, freeze them and reuse them to make a vegetable stock for another meal.