A ROTHERHAM company is helping businesses to polish up their green credentials and cut costs by recycling waste wood.
TP Wood Recycling from Thurcroft reckons it can re-use or recycle 80 per cent of all the waste wood it collects from its customers.
The company is a social enterprise and the first subsidiary to be set up by TP Trading Ltd, the trading arm of the Tr
eeton Partnership.
"Over 10 million tonnes of timber waste is generated in the UK each year, but only 10 per cent of it is recycled," says TP Wood Recycling's Chief Executive Nic Marshall.
"Whilst Rotherham and South Yorkshire are working hard at improving recycling rates, our service can add significantly to that performance."
TP Wood Recycling can collect up to 14 cubic yards of wood at a time from companies' premises.
The waste wood, which might otherwise end up in landfill sites, is sorted and stored at TP's headquarters at the Heritage Centre in Thurcroft.
Any long lengths, larger pieces of sheet material, doors or other re-usable items are sold back to the community for DIY or given to other groups or charities.
Some of the timber will be used to make items like bird boxes, compost bins, shelves, sheds and furniture, whilst much of the remainder is chopped up for fire wood and kindling. Some is sent for chipboard production, or for composting.
"We know that more and more companies are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental obligations," says operations manager, Richard Bland.
"We believe we can help companies fulfil their 'green' credentials and save them cash by cutting their ever increasing disposal costs."
Treeton Partnership exists to help improve local communities and is planning to establish a series of social enterprises to generate income which will be invested back into community projects.
TP Trading is run by a team of business professionals and aims to reduce the amount of wood sent to landfill sites by re-use or recycle of 80 per cent of all the wood it collects; offer job opportunities to local people, who are unemployed, develop further business incubator units at Treton Heritage Centre and make a positive contribution to recycling in the local area.
The business is supported by South Yorkshire Key Fund, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Objective 1.
