An update on reducing our footprint
You know by now that we’re all about reducing our footprint on this planet, and we’re thrilled to be doing more than just literally reducing the size of our building like in the above photograph! (The model pictured is by our talented friend Sophie)
While rescuing timber from its journey to the tip is a big part of what we do, we’ve been conscious since the start that in our regular operations we still produce a not insignificant amount of waste ourselves. Our goal from day 1 has been to be a zero-waste business, that is for everything that leaves our building to be diverted from landfill and to make its way to another use.
However, this isn’t as simple as it sounds, as our waste takes several key forms:
Solid timber offcuts from machining timber for customers down to size
Wood dust and wood chips from our machinery’s dust extraction
Metal waste from denailing (including nails, screws, bolts, and broken hardware)
We’re excited to announce that we’ve been working alongside and partnering with several other great organisations in order to reduce how much of each of these ends up in the big red bin and is diverted to other forms of reuse.
Sawdust reuse with SoilCo
As of the start of February this year we are working with SoilCo to help manage our sawdust waste. They will now take our excess sawdust and it will go into making compost, rather than into landfill. This is a huge win for our goal of zero waste, and we want to give our huge thanks to the Bin Trim program for helping facilitate this partnership!
In Australia, our current waste systems are set up so that sending waste to landfill is not only the easiest but the cheapest option. However, landfill has damaging environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and leachate which can pollute land, groundwater and waterways. It is currently estimated that 20% of landfill is yard and kitchen-related waste, or waste that can be reused for compost without much issue!
Scrap metal reuse
With great de-nailing comes great quantities of scrap metal, and it all needs somewhere to go! Luckily metal is one of the most recyclable of our waste materials, as it can be melted down and reused – both on industrial scales, and by individuals such as blacksmiths, jewellers, and other metal workers.
We always have buckets of various scrap metals waiting to be picked up – if you’re looking for small amounts of metal scrap for a project get in touch!
If you’re looking for metal that is less scrap and more function, we also sell nails, screws, and other hardware that we’ve reclaimed from timber as it comes into the shop. Come in store, load up our scale with what you want and only pay for what you need!
Coming soon: scrap wood collection with Redirect
We haven’t quite got it set up, but we’re excited to be working with Redirect to set up a scrap timber bin in the future. This will allow us to take any timber that we cannot machine or sell (such as timber that has too many nails it in to de-nail and use, or that has paint or varnish on it), and for that wood to be reused and turned into chipboard.
If you are interested in setting up a scrap wood bin for your business, you can contact ReDirect and enquire today.
