British Gypsum restores Kirkby Thore land back to grazing

A local farmer is reaping the rewards of a land restoration project that has seen British Gypsum’s Kirkby Thore manufacturing site close its gypsum waste landfill and restore the site back to grazing. This follows the introduction of a waste reduction programme that has led to all gypsum waste being recycled, enabling the company to achieve its target of zero production waste to landfill.

Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, British Gypsum has restored the land for grazing and introduced planting around the boundaries, which includes a wildflower meadow and native hedgerow species that will encourage wildlife to return to the area.

As part of the restoration process, annual aftercare meetings will be held with Cumbria County Council and Natural England for five years. These will ensure the site is being managed responsibly and all the conditions of planning consent are being met. 

Alison Stewart, environmental coordinator for British Gypsum’s Kirkby Thore site, commented: “Restoring the landfill after achieving zero production waste two years earlier than anticipated is a reflection of British Gypsum’s commitment to the regions it operates within.  Through the hard work of all staff members involved in the project we have exceeded expectations and given the land back to local farmers.

“We’re also incredibly proud to have been able to reintroduce some native species of wildflowers and hedgerows as these are two things which are rapidly being lost in the UK.”     

British Gypsum achieved the target of zero production waste to landfill across all its UK operations in April 2010, making it the first plaster and plasterboard manufacturer in the UK to achieve this. The programme reduced the amount of production waste going to landfill from an average of 5,000 tonnes per month in 2004 to zero in just six years. As part of this programme British Gypsum introduced the UK’s first plasterboard recycling scheme, a simple and easy service which reduces waste through dedicated site collections.

British Gypsum’s commitment to protecting and conserving the local communities and environment around its activities is fundamental to the company’s values, and all sites, functions and stakeholders (including suppliers) are encouraged to contribute to this.

For further information please visit www.british-gypsum.com 
 

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