About Us

This project commenced when Intruplas, the GBN's plastic reprocessing company approached Outokumpu Stainless Ltd with a view to them supplying us with a sample of stainless steel to improve the visual aspect of their outdoor, recycled plastic furniture.

Intruplas recycled plastic table

Whilst visiting their plant it was noted that Outokumpu used significant quantities of virgin timber coil carriers and pallets whilst also generating significant waste plastic packaging. With their support, we undertook successful trials manufacturing these coil carriers and pallets using their own waste plastic.

Coil carrier in use at GBN (south Yorkshire) Ltd

During this visit it was noted that Outokumpu Stainless Ltd also generated wood and cardboard wastes and had been seeking an outlet for these waste materials other than to landfill as part of implementing ISO14001. We had just completed a three year R&D project for the textile industry looking at ways of composting wool scouring sludges, and had identified a method that required waste wood and cardboard in a blend. Outokumpu Stainless Ltd made available a 100,000 square foot building with an attached 2 storey office block at their Tinsley site at a peppercorn rent on a 10 year renewable lease provided that worthwhile recycling projects, operating on a not for profit basis, and delivering high levels of social inclusion were developed there. From this, the GBN established an industrial scale composting project utilising leading-edge bio-technology capable of processing in excess of 25,000 tonnes a year, and a plastic reprocessing plant.

Part of the composting area at GBN ( South Yorkshire ) Ltd

These projects created:

• A large social enterprise that provided up to 32 new jobs and training opportunities for disadvantaged individuals, the long-term unemployed, older workers, etc. from Sheffield and the surrounding area.
• A company that was fully sustainable in economic and environmental terms, and generated substantial revenues.
• A company that produced graded composts that contributed to sustainability by reducing the need for peat extraction from environmentally sensitive areas, and that are socially useful. The highest grade material was used at the GBN's ABLE project at Caldervale, whilst the low grade was used by Yorkshire Water.
• A company that manufactured and assembled a range of special pallets and coil carriers, from recycled plastic, for use by Outokumpu. These had the effect of enhancing environmental sustainability by reducing the demand for new softwood, and also contributed significantly to the economic sustainability of the scheme. Unlike the wooden pallets they were able to be used more than once, and were recycled back into the process at the end of their useful life.
• A company that also produced a range of recycled plastic garden furniture, recycled plastic groundblocks and recycled plastic profile ‘planks' for use as fencing, landing stages, bridges, etc. For more details, please see our plastics page.
• A company where staff were encouraged to become multi-skilled and to move between jobs as their competence and confidence increased, creating real opportunities for staff to develop high level and marketable skills.

The project had the following partners:

• The Green Business Network (GBN) is a small locally based, not-for-profit organisation which is fast becoming recognised as a regional player. Moreover, its multi award winning schemes are increasingly of national importance and combine effective delivery, entrepreneurship and community engagement. The GBN is committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions to environmental issues. The GBN is businesslike and enterprising. It has a solid reputation for proactive intervention in and delivery of practically based projects which respond to, encourage, and support the principles of sustainable development, social inclusion, economic regeneration and environmental improvement. It has won a number of prestigious awards in recognition of these endeavours, including the National Grid Community 21 award (twice), LABEL 21 award (3 times), and the Business Commitment to the Environment Premier Award in 2003, where it was recognised for “exemplary environmental achievement”. The GBN's work is informed by a real commitment to social inclusion. This project will provide work and training opportunities for people from disadvantaged groups. These include the long-term unemployed, socially excluded young people, people with severe learning difficulties and those with mental health problems.
• Outokumpu Stainless Ltd provided the former narrow strip mill of 100,000 square feet, together with the adjoining office building of some 8,000 square feet. They were also the customer for the recycled plastic pallets and coil carriers that were produced, as well as using some of the low grade compost for landfill at their Sheffield site. Finally, Outokumpu Stainless Ltd are a major supplier of raw material inputs, with organic wastes going to the composting facility, and plastic packaging waste to the plastic reprocessing area.
• Biffa was involved in this project through its award making environmental body Biffaward. The company gave a landfill tax credit grant to this project of £500,000.
• The Wool Scourers of West Yorkshire were involved in the project from the beginning. It was the plight of these companies concerning the cost of disposing of their sludges that led to the composting trials and development of this entire project. The disposal cost of these sludges was, and continues, to threaten the very future of this industry. Raw material inputs amounting to some 15,000 tonnes came from this source.