An award-winning hotel in Swaffham has saved more than £16,000 by reducing food and packaging waste.

Strattons Hotel has achieved its green vision with the help of the government's 'Business is GREAT' campaign (www.greatbusiness.gov.uk) which offers information and support for people looking to start and grow a small business.

The family business, run by Vanessa and Les Scott with their daughter Hannah and her husband Dominic Hughes, has increased its recycling to an impressive 98 per cent.

The green hotel now recycles the majority of its waste stream and water through a range of systems including the use of sunken tanks to collect surface water, composting and setting up agreements with new suppliers to ensure that all waste is recycled at source.

Strattons enforces the recycling ethos throughout the businesses, with all 25 members of staff going through a recycling induction when they join, learning how to sort different materials and understanding what types of waste can be recycled.

The hotel has been working closely with the government-backed non-profit organisation WRAP (www.wrap.org.uk) to optimise their recycling processes.

WRAP provides free and practical advice to help businesses, local authorities, communities and individuals reap the benefits of reducing waste, developing sustainable products and using resources in an efficient way.

Established in 2000, it has funding from a variety of sources including Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Vanessa Scott, who is the executive chef of the hotel and works on their green policy, said: 'There is a surprising amount of government help out there for small businesses and it's well worth asking about. WRAP helped my business to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change while improving our bottom line.

'As a tourism business it makes perfect sense to improve environmental performance because successful tourism relies on great environments.

'We are supporting the Business is GREAT campaign to highlight our story to other SME employers looking to grow and show the support available to help them fulfil this ambition.'

Matthew Hancock, minister for skills and enterprise, said: 'Small businesses are crucial to the success of our economy, which is why we are showcasing the best of British business through our Business is GREAT campaign. We want people in Norfolk to know about the support that the Government is providing to make it easier to start and grow a small business.'