Waste minimization and utilisation in greenspace creation

 

Summary

The space available for landfill in the UK is constantly under review and the policies concerning waste disposal are moving towards increasingly sustainable solutions being encouraged over the more traditional ‘dig and dump’.  The pressure is therefore on waste producers to find ways to recycle or reuse what they would normally discard.  Site developers can potentially minimize the quantities of soil and other site resources which go to landfill by employing suitable screening methodology to identify how such materials can be utilised within the restoration process.  Organic wastes from industrial, agricultural and domestic sources can be composted and used as a soil amendment to provide both a nutrient-rich growth media and contamination stabiliser. 

Research objectives

Forest Research is exploring ways to minimize waste at source and determine the potential of previously underutilised materials to create a sustainable growth medium for use in greening and landscaping projects:

• Greenwaste compost
• Novel composts
• Soil-forming Materials (SFMs)
• Waste minimisation. 

Funders and partners

The main funders and partners of this research are:

• Enventure Northern Limited
• Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
• Maslen Enviromental Limited
• EPSRC
• Halcrow Group Limited
• Holliwell Seed and Grain Company Limited
• SUBR:IM
• Terra Eco-Systems
• Thames Water
• University of Cambridge
• University of Surrey
• Waste Recycling Group
• Wye College.

Forestry Commission policy

Use of land degraded by former industrial and urban activity makes an increasingly important contribution to the expansion of woodland. Trees planted on such sites offer immense social benefits in addition to the possibility of economic activity on formerly unproductive land. This programme supports the related objectives of the English Forestry Strategy and across Great Britain generally.

Status

The research is ongoing.

Contact

For more information contact:

Tony Hutchings
Forest Research
Alice Holt Lodge
Farnham
Surrey GU10 4LH

Tel: +44(0)1420 5265270
Fax: +44(0)1420 520180
Email: tony.hutchings@forestry.gsi.gov.uk