Our site team working for B3 Living at Macers Lane in Hertfordshire is partnering with a local charity to ensure used palettes get a new lease of life.
While the Breyer Renew team initially contacted charity Riverside Timber Recycling Project as part of a recycling initiative, plans have since developed into a multi-faceted social value activity. By working with Riverside and Ace, Breyer has ensured all used palettes are saved from landfill and transformed into Bug Hotels, Planters and other useful items. These items are crafted by young people with learning disabilities who are learning new skills, growing confidence and making new friends through the workshops that Riverside holds to recycle the palettes.
Marlon Amele, Project Manager for the project, said:
“Protecting the environment as much as possible is really important to us. So, finding a charity that could use our palettes and prevent them from ending up in landfill was a priority. When we discovered the work Riverside and Ace does to upskill young people with learning disabilities as part of this, we were keen to do more with them.
“We invited Riverside and Ace to produce some planters, a bug hotel and a bird bath for our site to create a better environment for staff and for the nature surrounding us. We then hosted an event so that the young people behind our new palette-based creations could lay them out for us and meet with the team. They were supported by a local resident who helps us with regular litter picks in the area and has now taken on the role of environmental lead. Not only that, our insulation supplier behind the palettes, InstaGroup heard about what we were doing and decided to donate £500 to Riverside, as well as more palettes. It really has been a team effort benefiting both people and planet.”
What started as a desire to recycle palettes has grown into a highly effective social value initiative. What’s more, Riverside’s palette-based creations have helped to transform the Macers Lane site area into a more enjoyable space for staff to work, while the bug hotel, planters and bird bath are providing an attractive environment for bees, butterflies and birds to thrive.
Ricky Price, Director of Riverside Timber Recycling Project, added: “The companies that work with our project enable us to make a significant difference to both our local environment and our local community volunteers and helpers. The labour force at our workshop and showroom includes both young and old volunteers from differing backgrounds and abilities, who all actively contribute to the overall success of our project.”
