Our depot teams have been working hard to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by upcycling.
Table of Contents
What is upcycling?
Upcycling represents a wide variety of ways to take an old product and modify it to give it a second life; converting what would have become waste in landfill to something with use or value. We have implemented and encouraged recycling, so upcycling has been a great addition to help reduce our waste and give our staff a chance to get creative.
1. Planters
With the development of the depots gardens, we have seen an increase in depot staff upcycling materials into planters. Our depots have used what space they have available for their gardens with the planters being designed to fit the areas.
Wooden sleepers have been used to create large planters that have become flower beds for the gardens. Our Livingston and Dartford depots have used the planters to create a year round garden with different varieties of flowers that will bloom throughout the year. At our Bristol depot, sleepers have been turned into a long planter that lines the edge of the outdoor seating area.
At our depots with limited space, pallets have been used to create compact planters that allow our staff to enjoy the benefits of a garden. At our Exeter depot, the pallet planters line the outside of the depot building, bringing colour to brighten up the depot. Whilst at our Rugeley depot, pallet planters are hung on the fences of the outdoor seating area where staff frequently spend their breaks.
Our Castleford and Rugeley depots have been utilising end of life tyres for planters, both hanging on fences and on the ground. Using a liner, the tyres on the ground have become a perfect home for flowers. When halved, the tyres are an ideal hanging planter to increase the garden space.
At our Castleford depot, a filing cabinet, which was destined for landfill, has now become a planter for the variety of vegetables the staff have been growing. These vegetables are then used as recipe ingredients for the depot staff.
With minimal space for a garden, our Astley depot have converted an old wheel barrow and barrel into planters. This has allowed our depot staff to use their green fingers and join in with making a garden. The upside to the Astley garden is that it can be moved to protect the plants from harsh weather.
2. Workbench
Given the industry we operate in, workbenches are an integral part of Yard Operatves working space. At our Warrington depot, a workbench was designed and created from kit that could no longer be used on site, the bench is now utilised by our staff for their day to day work.
The same has been done at our Yorkshire depot, this has allowed the increase of usable workspace within the depot buildings, which helps to increase the productivity of our staff.
3. Signage
Signage is used across all our depots, from indicating where our depots are located to illustrating yard safety precautions. To ensure that our signage stays where it is needed, our depot staff have been using scrap materials to create stands and bases for the signs to prevent them from being blown over in the wind.
During the colder months, high wind speeds can become a concern. If a sign was to blow over it could injure a bystander, this is why it is crucial that our signs are fitted to stands and bases that will not be affected by wind.
GU Sheet Piles, that have come to the end of their working lives, are used as bases due to their heavy weight. Our Tring depot has created a safety sign board to ensure everyone entering the yard are aware of the procedures.
4. Equipment Storage
Tidy yards make picking equipment for jobs easier for our staff. To keep our yards in a tidy state, storage is key. Ensuring tools and equipment are organised makes day to day work easier, so across all our depots, materials have been upcycled to create more storage. It has been a chance for our welders and fabricators to show off their creative side when designing new storage.
At our Bristol depot, yard equipment has been stored away, labelled and colour coded to help new starters find equipment. This has improved the confidence of new starters when finding equipment for their work.
Find a depot near you!
