Recycling and the Environment

OUR GENERAL FOCUS IS ON EFFICIENTLY RECYCLING WOOD WASTE AS CLOSE TO THE WORK SITE AS POSSIBLE. THEREFORE, BEFORE ANY WORK COMMENCES WE WOULD EXPECT TO DISCUSS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS WHAT IS TO HAPPEN WITH THE ARISINGS IN CASE THEY HAVE EXISTING DISPOSAL SITES.

Recycling and the Environment

We maintain a database of locations across the south of the country where we can off-load woodchip or logs, including stables, parish councils, private homes and colleges. We have a green recycling centre close to the yard in Dorchester on Thames and we sell woodchip to biomass generating schemes.

When looking at the option of leaving or removing arisings we take into account the following:

  • Use of the site, access, amount of space and safety implications of storing arisings.
  • Wildlife and habitat, particularly where veteran trees are present.
  • The management of pests and diseases, encouraging beneficial organisms.
  • The potential for damage to the site and neighbouring property.
  • The scope for use as woodchip mulch, fire wood or bio-mass.
  • The general effect on the amenity value of the site and associated environmental considerations.

Generally brash debris will be processed through a woodchipper and will either be recycled onsite or elsewhere. All diseased wood should be burned during the course of the work, or on completion. Stacked material for habitat should be left in safe condition. Wood may be stacked for habitat, left for firewood or removed from site to be recycled elsewhere. Any arisings that are contaminated with stone, glass, metal etc and are not safe to process through a woodchipper will be removed to a waste recycling depot. We have an Environment Agency Waste Carriers Licence as it is a legal requirement when using a commercial tip site.

Biomass

In a busy month we will bring approximately 50 tonnes of wood chip back to the yard. It is then collected and sent for biomass.

What is biomass?

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms.Biomass takes carbon out of the atmosphere while it is growing, and returns it as it is burned. If it is managed on a sustainable basis, biomass is harvested as part of a constantly replenished crop. This is either during woodland or arboricultural management or coppicing or as part of a continuous programme of replanting with the new growth taking up CO2 from the atmosphere at the same time as it is released by combustion of the previous harvest.

This maintains a closed carbon cycle with no net increase in atmospheric CO2 levels.

Further information is available on the Biomass Energy Centre government information website.

Other Environmental activities

Branches and un-chipped green waste is taken to the local Agrivert site, just a few miles down the road, where it is made into compost. Some logs are split and made available to local contacts for firewood.

However, care for the environment is more than just what to do with waste. Day to day activities also have an impact. For example, we use Stihl biodegradable chain saw oil - more expensive but kinder to the environment. Route planning, machine and vehicle maintenance schedules, driving ability, loading, all have an impact. See our full Environment Policy for further details.