The Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust and its 3,000 staff are aiming to become one of the UK's greenest organisations.

The Trust has an Environment and Energy Group which audits performance on a range of green issues.

The consumption of energy and water is closely monitored on all the Trust's sites, and the top five locations for energy saving are featured in the monthly magazine for staff.

Two years ago the Trust decided to save paper, ink and energy by producing its monthly Hert of the Matter staff magazine electronically.

The Trust uses recycling bins for waste paper, and collecting used printer cartridges saves the Trust hundreds of pounds every year.

The newest scheme, for the re-use and recycling of unwanted mobile phones, is also expected to produce extra income for the Trust.

Another recently-launched recycling project will challenge staff and service users to see how many plastic bottles they can collect each week.

The Trust has a special suggestion scheme which invites environmental champions to come up with ideas for enhancing the working and care environment while reducing environmental impact.

Chief Executive, Bill Macintyre, said: "Going green makes sense. Not only does it save valuable resources and reduce our carbon footprint, we also make best use of our money - allowing us to reinvest in the services we provide. Everybody wins."