January 2011

Somerset Wood Recycling combines the environmental benefits of reuse and recycling with the social impact of providing training and opportunities for disadvantaged people.

A loan from us is being used to part-finance the installation of a biomass heater in the warehouse of a wood recycling social enterprise. The commercial wood-burning stove will warm the employees and trainees at Somerset Wood Recycling in Weston-super-Mare and dispose of the waste wood they cannot reuse or recycle.

Somerset Wood Recycling is one of a growing network of community wood recycling projects that combine the environmental benefits of reuse and recycling with the social impact of providing training and opportunities for disadvantaged people.

Somerset Wood Recycling collects waste wood and timber from businesses, building sites and domestic premises in Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding area. The material is taken to its warehouse where it is sorted and used in the most environmentally beneficial way. At least 80% of the wood collected is reused; about half of it is sold as timber for DIY or woodworking, and much of the rest is used to make a range of products for sale including benches, plant boxes and bird tables. Anything that cannot be reused is either sold as firewood or used to fuel the biomass heater.

Somerset Wood Recycling also derives a significant income from the Skills Funding Agency and other organisations for providing training and work experience.

“We have about 30 trainees and volunteers working with us, and that’s the primary purpose of the project,” said manager Tristan Tudor, who was one of the two people who set it up in 2006. “It’s not so much about saving wood from going to waste. Although that’s what we do it’s just the vehicle that makes the project happen so we can work with people.

“We provide training and volunteering opportunities to people with different needs. Some of them have had drug or alcohol addiction problems, some of them have learning difficulties, some have mental health issues and some have been unemployed for a long time.”

Last year the enterprise negotiated a two-year contract with North Somerset Council for the repair for outdoor furniture and some grounds maintenance. This gave the social enterprise the confidence to apply for a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance and to develop plans for further expansion. “We want to grow the project so we can help more people,” Tristan said. “At a time when everyone in the public sector is looking for ways of saving money and delivering services more effectively I think we are well placed to pick up more work.”