 |
MEDIA RELEASE |
|
NEW LIFE IN DEAD TREES Ever wondered what happens to trees that have to be cut down on the highways? All trees that are removed from the roadside in Wirral as a result of being dead or diseased are recycled. The trees are shredded or cut up on-site and then removed by the contractor who is required to recycle the wood as part of the contract. This material is then taken to a manufacturer where it is turned into wood pellets, giving the dead wood a new lease of life as ‘biomass fuel'. This ensures that the Council meets its requirements to ensure sustainability within its contract and that the waste material is fully recycled and not sent to landfill. Wirral Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Gill Gardiner, says, “This is a nother example of the Council's commitment to reducing its running costs, keeping landfill waste to a minimum and reducing the area's carbon footprint through recycling and sustainability.” Of all possible renewable heating solutions, biomass has the potential to deliver some of the most significant and cost-effective carbon savings, particularly for commercial and industrial premises, benefitting the environment as well as saving money. The new Floral Pavilion has a boiler fuelled by wood pellets and the new Pensby Primary and Park Primary schools will also use biomass fuel heating systems. As well as being produced from trees removed from the roadside, these pellets can be produced with wood from renewable, managed forests in North Wales and are the by-product of a manufacturing process that would otherwise go to waste. Unlike gas or oil, wood pellets won't run out and they are cheaper too.”
|