Waste Wood Savings For CCS & The Planet

CCS St Albans is Keeping Wood Out of Landfill

As much as we strive to reduce waste, some unwanted material is inevitable. Not only does this waste cost CCS money to dispose of responsibly, but it can also end up in landfill, which we try to avoid whenever possible.

In St Albans, a not-for-profit social enterprise called, St Albans Wood Recycling (SAWR) is preventing thousands of tonnes of unwanted timber from ending up in landfill. Each tonne of wood in landfill produces the equivalent of 800kg of CO2 in methane emissions.

SAWR ensures that no wood is sent to landfill. They manage to upcycle 10% of the material that they collect in their fuel-efficient vans. This reclaimed timber is used for DIY projects in the local community. The remaining timber, which is no longer suitable for construction in its original form, is turned into woodchip. This woodchip is then used in the production of particleboard, as animal bedding, or as carbon-neutral fuel in power stations.

The cherry on top for CCS is that this approach saves approximately 40% compared to the cost of hiring a skip.

The CCS Environmental and Sustainability Lead, Lucie Davies said,

"As a company that generates a variety of waste through our operations, we recognise the importance of reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill. We are excited to utilise SAWR's services to approach waste management in a way that benefits both the local community, the environment, and the company.

"By diverting waste from landfill and supporting the circular economy, we are able to cut costs and work towards our sustainability goals. Partnerships like this demonstrate how small changes can drive major progress."