At TreeProject we try to be as sustainable and environmentally aware as possible. Every year we wash, sterilise and re-use as many of our planting materials as we can. The foam boxes that house and insulate the tubes throughout the growing season eventually get worn out and can no longer be used.
Fortunately, there is a way for them to be repurposed instead of going to landfill.
The old or broken boxes are collected in giant bags at our nursery/depot to stop them flying around and entering waterways or other natural habitats. They are then loaded up and taken to a collection centre where they are sorted and cleaned to remove any contaminants. The clean foam is processed by way of granulating, compressing and pelletizing the material.
The recycling process is complete when the small pieces of foam are transformed into insulative building materials such as waffle pods, insulated concrete forms and boards used under slabs. It is heartening to know foam boxes that would have otherwise been discarded as waste are now being transformed into products essential for energy-efficient construction.