Emily Almond, Author at DCW Polymers Ltd

Embracing the “Pet Positive” Movement: How Holiday Parks Can Stand Out with Dog Agility Equipment

Uncategorized / By Emily Almond / Leave a Comment / 31/10/2024

In recent years, I’ve seen a noticeable shift in how holiday parks and resorts are approaching pet-friendliness. With more guests choosing to bring their dogs along on their getaways, creating a “Pet Positive” experience could be the next step to truly stand out. Holiday parks can go beyond “dog-friendly” policies by providing tailored spaces that allow pets to enjoy their stay as much as their owners.

One idea I’ve often thought about (especially as a pet owner myself) is the benefit of adding dog agility fields that guests can reserve for private or group sessions. This extra touch would be valuable for visitors who, like me, travel with dogs that might be nervous around other animals or in unfamiliar settings.

Why Offer Dedicated Dog Agility Fields?

Statistics from sources like Hoseasons highlight the growing popularity of pet-friendly accommodations, with over 70% of travelers seeking spaces that cater to their pets. But being “Pet Positive” isn’t just about allowing pets on-site; it’s about enhancing their experience. By securing a field dedicated to agility and play, holiday parks can provide a safe, enriching environment that guests can book either as a complimentary perk or as an added, paid option.

Such a facility allows for secure off-lead time, which has been shown to be beneficial for dogs’ mental and physical health. According to studies, off-lead exercise can increase dogs’ happiness and reduce anxiety by over 20%, thanks to the freedom to explore and expend energy. Not only does this promote exercise, but it also reduces stress—especially important for dogs visiting new places, where typical walking options may feel restricted.

Sustainable recycled plastic dog agility by DCW Polymers durable long-lasting – Hoop jump

Sustainable recycled plastic dog agility equipment by DCW Polymers Ltd

What Makes Our Agility Equipment Perfect for Holiday Parks

My team and I have crafted our dog agility equipment with ease of installation and maintenance in mind. We deliver it mostly assembled, with some items requiring just eight bolts to put together, ensuring a simple setup. And the best part? Made from 100% recycled plastic, our equipment is weatherproof, durable, and maintenance-free. Once installed, you can “set it and forget it,” so your staff can focus on other areas of guest service while the equipment remains ready for use in all seasons.

As a dog owner, I know that I’d be thrilled to find a safe, well-equipped area for my dog to run and play off-lead in a holiday setting. This simple addition could be a game-changer, setting your holiday park apart by meeting the needs of the many guests who are eager to bring their pets along for the adventure.

By adopting the “Pet Positive” philosophy, holiday parks can create spaces that cater not only to people but also to their four-legged companions. Investing in dog agility equipment offers a distinctive, meaningful way to connect with pet-owning guests—and it’s one that they, and their pets, will remember.

The A-Frame

£870.00 – £1,074.00 including VAT

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The Dog Seesaw

£720.00 including VAT

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The Spider Climbing Ramp

£750.00 – £1,380.00 including VAT

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New partnership closes the loop for hundreds of tonnes of plastic bio-beads, headed for landfill

Uncategorized / By Emily Almond / Leave a Comment / 30/07/2024

An Exeter-based specialist plastic recycling company DCW Polymers has teamed up with South West Water to deliver a pioneering recycling partnership to reprocess over 320 tonnes of tiny waste bio-beads used in waste water treatment otherwise destined for landfill, into new water filtration media.

Innovation in Plastic Recycling

With the first innovation of its kind, DCW Polymers has piloted a new circular process for the water company, which will ensure its bio-bead products, which would otherwise have been discarded, are now instead being used in a circular way to create new, valuable and useful water treatment filtration media.

South West Water has a small number of BAFF (biological aerated flooded filter) plants installed across its estate. The BAFF plant is a secondary or tertiary treatment stage for wastewater effluent that utilises plastic ‘bio-beads’ as a media for bacteria to colonise. Air bubbles are blown upwards through the bio-bead filter media, and this provides a steady stream of oxygen for the biomass to support the oxidation process, which reduces the levels of organic matter and unwanted elements in the effluent such as ammonia.

In June 2021, DCW Polymers collected the first batch, just over 80 tonnes of used bio-beads, from South West Water. The used bio-beads were reprocessed back in to newer, larger filter media product and delivered back to South West Water for re-purposing in their BAFF plants.

After a successful trial at one of the water company’s waste water treatment works, to ensure that the performance of the BAFF plant was maintained, a second, larger batch of approximately 240 tonnes of obsolete bio-beads was collected by DCW Polymers in August 2023 and reprocessed in the same way.

Plastic Recycling Success

Simon continues, “We are delighted that there are some significant benefits being achieved by this innovative new solution, beyond the obvious diversion of the product to landfill.”

Gavin Lincoln from South West Water commented, “This is a long-term solution for us and provides a sustainable and secure on-going supply for our replacement filter media. We really appreciate the DCW Polymers team’s expert knowledge and their perseverance in finding a circular solution for us that really works.”

For more information about DCW Polymers plastic recycling services, call 01392 535 353 or email [email protected]

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New owners of countryside pub upgrade garden furniture ready for summer!

Latest News / By Emily Almond / 10/05/2024

Jack and Lucy Fry reopened the Odd Wheel Pub in Wembury in July 2023 and have completely revolutionised it to become the thriving centre of the community. Home to a wide range of innovative events – a Beer & Ale Festival, Dog Show and Quiz nights – plus some of the highest quality food in Plymouth it’s clear to see why they’re going from strength to strength.

A key part of the success of the pub is their stylish beer garden, which features a stunning range of maintenance-free outdoor furniture by DCW Polymers. Jack worked with our Business Development Manager, Emily Almond, to decide the best products to use in the pub garden, to maximise the outdoor covers and make the most efficient use of the space available to them.

Being a new business, Jack also opted to spread the cost of the furniture investment, utilising our 24 month hire purchase plan. Jack commented “The option to have the pub garden furniture on a rent to buy option was so fitting for us at the time. It saved the large capital outlay and gives us the option for purchase at the end of the hire period.”

The Odd Wheel Pub has a stylish mix of our Exeter Dining Sets; Wellington Picnic Benches with back rests; Plymouth A-Frames and Falmouth benches. The pub garden furniture is functional and looks fantastic too. With the pub garden furniture completely maintenance-free, it means Jack and his team can focus on their outstanding menu and community events!

Since their initial order of over 20 units, they have added to their pub garden with our planters and even a custom-made condiments table!
“The team at DCW polymers have been fantastic. From order to delivery every element of the process has been spot on. Emily & the team advised on the recommend items for us to purchase. We ended up having over 20 units in total. I highly recommend DCW Polymers to anyone looking for a sub stainable and long lasting product.”

“The overall experience was phenomenal, easy, quick and simple. I do and will continue to recommend the products”

Jack Fry, Landlord, The Odd Wheel Wembury

To keep up to date with the latest menus and events at The Odd Wheel in Wembury, follow them on Facebook!

New owners of countryside pub upgrade garden furniture ready for summer! Read More »

Plymouth Law firm sets New Benchmark in Sustainability

Latest News / By Emily Almond / 08/05/2024

GA Solicitors, a regional law firm headquartered in Plymouth, is taking recycling to a whole new level after having 80 of its plastic bins transformed into a weatherproof picnic bench to donate to a local nursery.

As part of a drive to increase staff recycling, individual waste bins were removed from under the desks of more than 80 staff. With the support of waste management experts, DCW Polymers Ltd, the 200-year-old law firm was able to have all of these recycled to make a piece of weatherproof and durable furniture.

The newly formed picnic bench is to be donated to Little Stars Nursery in Stonehouse, which was agreed upon through GA Solicitors’ partnership with Plymouth charity, Promoting Children in Plymouth (PCiP). This partnership has been in place for some 18 months, with GA Solicitors handing over a cheque worth £4,300 to PCiP in January.

This is not the first time GA Solicitors has provided support to Little Stars Nursery, having previously been involved in PCiP’s reading initiative, Tiny Tales, which aimed to foster enhanced reading skills among children in the city.

Kerry Bidewell, development manager at PCIP, commented “This is a fantastic story which we can all follow full cycle, from simple bins in a law firm to a fantastic and useful bench which will be used by children in an educational setting every day.

“This was a brilliant idea by GA Solicitors and shows what businesses can do when they think outside of the box. Not only have they saved a lot of plastic going to landfill, but they have also supported their local community and continued their relationship with PCiP.”

David Wallis, managing partner of GA Solicitors added: “At GA Solicitors we have been working hard to not only reduce our carbon footprint, but also have a positive impact on the local and wider community. We have planted more than 1400 trees worldwide, supported local pollinators through our partnership with Pollenize, and also updated all of our policies to be as eco-friendly as possible. When it came to removing so many plastic bins, we knew we couldn’t just discard them. DCW Polymers Ltd is a fantastic company and we could not have done this without them.

“We hope all the children and staff at Little Stars can make full use of the picnic bench and that it opens up their outdoor space for more activities and fun.”

This latest initiative by GA Solicitors follows a £4,300 donation to PCiP in January after finishing its time as the firm’s charity of the year. Full details can be found here.

GA Solicitors in Plymouth has selected Children’s Hospice Southwest as its charity of the year for 2024. You can find out more about them here: https://www.chsw.org.uk/

ENDS

27/02/2024

Notes to Editors

GA Solicitors can trace its roots back more than 200 years and has been advising the people and business in the South West for its duration. Originally based in Devonport, the firm gets its initials from Thomas Husband Gill who joined the practice in 1875 and later went into partnership with Albert E. Akaster.

Now one of the region’s leading law firms, the 93-strong team at the Lexcel-accredited LLP, has offices in both Plymouth and Bath. It is ranked in The Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers High Net Worth and is structured around eight practice areas, each comprising its own specialist department:

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South West recycling firm’s sustainable furniture heads to the Lake District

News / By Emily Almond / 11/12/2023

An Exeter based specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant has supplied 43 maintenance free sustainable benches to four of the National Trust’s Lake District camping sites. Made from 100% recycled waste plastic collected from UK businesses, DCW Polymers’ skilled joiners handmade the bespoke picnic benches.

Searching for a sustainable solution to outdoor furniture, the National Trust first approached DCW Polymers in late 2022 after hearing of the firm’s popular outdoor products range that gives plastic waste a new lease of life. The National Trust Holidays team in the Lake District chose the picnic bench from the catalogue of DCW products as suitable outdoor furniture for its campsites.

With a strong circular economy ethos, DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range aligns with the National Trust’s existing activities to reduce plastic waste. These include, offering visitors free drinking water which reduces waste from disposable water bottles, and promoting the use of reusable cups by giving visitors 25p off a hot drink when they bring their own cup.

Steph Hill, Head of Operational Delivery – Holidays Outdoors at the National Trust commented: “We’re pleased to have found a sustainable alternative to timber picnic benches at our Lake District campsites. Benches at our sites are popular with visitors who seek to enjoy our beautiful outdoor spaces, so it’s necessary for the Trust to source long-lasting benches that don’t require regular maintenance or replacement, such as traditional timber options.

“Choosing sustainable products is part of our core strategy to help fight against climate change, reduce carbon footprint and waste and help protect our environment.”

DCW Great Langdale national trust — DCW Polymers benches at Great Langdale National Trust site

DCW Polymers’ plastic furniture is maintenance-free and long-lasting. Completely weatherproof, the benches will not rot, splinter, or corrode or ever require painting or treating. Robust and hard-wearing, the furniture is well-suited to outdoor settings and is not easily vandalised.

The range, which also includes fencing, decking, dog agility and children’s play equipment, is all part of DCW Polymers’ mission towards a more circular economy. The process recycles waste plastic into new items, saving valuable resources and energy, keeping plastic waste away from landfill and protecting our fragile ecosystem. It also reduces the need for virgin plastic raw material to be made.

Simon Almond, Managing Director of DCW Polymers, commented: “We were delighted when the National Trust Holidays team approached us to handmake 43 picnic benches for its Lake District campsites. The team have worked extremely hard over the last few years to refine the manufacturing process, and many investments have been made to ensure a high-quality, attractive and durable product is produced from plastic waste.”

Simon continued: “Our plastic alternatives come with a 25-year guarantee and more importantly, keep plastic waste away from landfill.”

To find out more about DCW Polymers’ recycled outdoor products range, visit www.dcwpolymers.co.uk.

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‘Tis The Season to Recycle & Raise®!

News / By Emily Almond / 04/12/2023

Recycle & Raise® brought to you by DCW Polymers Ltd is back and better than ever for the 5th year! This year, it’s even more exciting as there’s the chance to win a free recycled plastic park bench worth over £400 for the organisation that collects the most tubs as a registered drop-off point!

Each tub is worth around 20p for the charities, so the more tubs we recycle, the more money the charities can receive. Please save your clean and empty plastic sweet tub and donate them to your nearest drop-off point by 15th February 2024! It’s not just sweets and chocolates tubs DCW Polymers is asking for either. Ice cream, biscuit and cracker tubs, milk bottle tops and takeaway containers can all be recycled as part of the Recycle & Raise campaign.

More drop-off locations will be available over the next few weeks but you can find your nearest drop-off location by viewing the interactive map on the website www.dcwpolymers.co.uk/recycle-raise. If your business, school or organisation would like to sign up as a drop-off point and be in with a chance of winning a Falmouth park bench, please email [email protected].

In February, we will weigh the tubs as we collect from each of our drop-off points. The drop-off point with the most tubs donated will win a free Falmouth Park Bench from the DCW Polymers sustainable furniture range!

The plastics that are donated to Recycle & Raise will be sent to the DCW Polymers’ recycling plant in Exeter, where they will be shredded into granules. The granules will then be used in manufacturing DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range, where 100% of the profits from the donated plastics will be donated to Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust. All plastic donations collected will be split 50/50 between the two charities.

Dartmoor Zoo is set in 33-acres of beautiful woodland just outside of Plymouth and undertakes vital conservation work to protect a variety of species. Life Chance Trust is an award-winning organisation based in Newton Abbot that provides young people who have experienced trauma with mentoring and life skills training to help them on the pathway to employment.

Since its launch in 2019, Recycle & Raise has raised over £14,000 for charity with DCW Polymers collecting over 7 tonnes of tubs!

DCW Polymers Business Support Manager, Emily Almond, said: “We are so pleased to be launching Recycle & Raise for the 5th year and are so excited to launch the competition alongside it. We have some amazing people involved who fill their homes with these tubs every year to help the charities with us, so it’s amazing to be able to give back to them by allowing them the chance to win a free bench too!

“We are so proud to have raised over £14,000 since we launched Recycle & Raise and hope that with the support from the public, we can raise even more this year. Please spread the word and save us your clean, empty tubs and tops and help us Recycle plastic and Raise money for charity.”

Empty and clean donations need to be taken to drop-off locations by Thursday 15th February 2024. If your business, school or organisation would like to become a drop-off point, please email [email protected] with your address and consent to be added to the map!

‘Tis The Season to Recycle & Raise®! Read More »

Silverstone MotoGP boosts net-zero efforts with the help of DCW Polymers

Blog / By Emily Almond / 14/11/2023

Silverstone & DCW Polymers – Strength in Sustainability

Silverstone’s MotoGP – one of the biggest events in the British motorcycling calendar – enlisted the help of South West based recycled plastic furniture manufacturer DCW Polymers this year in a bid to become more sustainable.

Committed to becoming a leading sustainable business and leisure destination through its Net Zero 2030 project; Northampton-based Silverstone were keen to partner with DCW Polymers* who manufacture durable, long-lasting furniture products made from 100% recycled plastic.

As part of its net zero pledge, Silverstone are committing to a ten-year venue and facility investment strategy that puts sustainability at the centre of operations. This includes finding sustainable alternatives to event facilities whilst maintaining its high standards and quality guest experience. DCW Polymers’ event hire benches are the perfect solution.

Working Together for a Sustainable Future

Working closely with DCW Polymers, Silverstone selected a range of furniture items to subtly create sociable sections within the Lego Family Zone in Hall One, maximising the space available. Silverstone hired 21 Plymouth picnic benches for the food zone, 6 Exeter Dining Sets for the bar area, and 15 Salcombe modular sofa units to create a comfortable environment for event-goers to relax in the coffee lounge. This zone offered a public food hall for all ticket holders to enjoy hot food, a bar, coffee lounge and Lego activities upstairs.

A further nine Plymouth benches were set up outside Hall One, giving attendees a great view of the pitlane exit so that they could watch their favourite riders re-join the circuit.

Creating a closed-loop system for plastic waste

By handmaking its furniture out of plastic waste collected from UK businesses, DCW Polymers has a completely closed-loop system for plastic waste in the UK. The Plymouth bench alone contains over 115kg of plastic. That’s the equivalent of over 1,000 plastic sweet tubs!

A smart, sustainable alternative to timber furniture, DCW Polymers’ benches are longer-lasting, more durable, and resistant to damage and vandalism. The furniture is completely weatherproof. As the items are heavy, they cannot be easily moved, maintaining the aesthetic of the event space. The benches at this year’s MotoGP looked as good on day three as they did on day one! They will go on to see many more events to come!

By choosing DCW Polymers’ sustainable furniture range, Silverstone is supporting the circular economy. The innovative manufacturing process recycles waste plastic into new items, saving valuable energy. It also reduces the need for tree felling!

A sustainable furniture solution for your next event

Many of the businesses DCW Polymers work with choose to hire furniture products for events, saving storage space. The event hire option is perfect for those who need stylish, sustainable furniture solutions temporarily.

Our experts at can work with event organisers to provide a bespoke solution for any space. We can encourage high footfall with attendees staying at an event for longer thanks to the provision of comfortable furniture.

All of DCW Polymers’ products come with a 25-year guarantee! Therefore, this is ensuring that hundreds of events can hire the same benches in their lifetime. This provides a more sustainable solution than less durable, timber alternatives that can be subject to damage, and vandalism.

If you are keen to hire our furniture for your next event, please contact the team! Call us on 01392 535353 or email [email protected]

*For MotoGP, DCW Polymers sponsored the furniture items and took no payment from Silverstone

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DCW Polymers raises over £3,000 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme

News / By Emily Almond / 25/09/2023

DCW Polymers, the South West’s only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, has raised £3,101.68 for local charities by recycling plastic tubs and bottle tops donated by the general public.

The funds, which have been split equally between Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust, were raised through DCW Polymers’ Recycle & Raise initiative. The appeal asked the general public to donate plastic tubs and bottle tops for recycling which DCW Polymers has shredded into granules.

The granules have been used in the manufacturing of DCW’s recycled plastic furniture range which has raised £1,550.84 each for Dartmoor Zoo and Life Chance Trust.

An incredible 158 businesses, schools and organisations across the South West volunteered as collection points for the tubs, bottle tops and takeaway containers, with a total of 1,643kg of tubs and 487kg of bottle tops donated in a bid to support the charities.

Hosted by DCW Polymers annually since 2019, the Recycle & Raise appeal has raised over £13,000 for charitable causes.

Simon Almond, Managing Director of DCW, said: “This might have been our fourth year of running our Recycle & Raise campaign, but the enthusiasm from the public never fails to make us smile. It’s fantastic that so many are willing to do what they can to help year after year. What better way to recycle plastics than by donating them to DCW and raising vital funds for local charities.

“These are two charities that do incredible work in the local community. Dartmoor Zoo are specialists in education and conservation of animals, while also supporting local people. The team at Life Chance Trust in Newton Abbot are working hard to help young people who have experienced trauma with mentoring and life skills training.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the scheme and the businesses who volunteered to act as drop-off points as without you, we couldn’t have raised these funds. Recycle & Raise will be back towards the end of 2023, and we hope to raise even more funds next year.”

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the public and the success of the appeal, DCW Polymers is now collecting plastic tubs and bottle tops all year round. The plastic donated throughout the year will be weighed and totalled in February 2024 along with the donations from the annual scheme.

Clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to the Recycle & Raise drop-off point outside Princesshay’s Bee Hive Information Centre, The Hive, located in Bampfylde Lane in Exeter. In addition, clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to DCW Polymers in Exeter.

For those who cannot easily access the permanent drop-off points, the Recycle & Raise seasonal appeal for plastic tubs and bottle tops will return in October 2023 and will run until February 2024. DCW Polymers encourages businesses from across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset to sign-up, creating plenty of accessible drop-off points across the region. If your business would like to sign up as a drop-off point to help raise funds for DCW Polymers’ chosen charities, please email [email protected]

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