Furniture components manufacturer and distributor Hills Panel Products (HPP) has received a recycling award, after reducing the amount of waste materials sent to landfill  to almost zero in 2019.

HPP has received a Zero the Hero award from UK Waste Solutions Ltd (UKWSL) which provides waste reduction and management services to industry.

Supplying the national kitchen and bedroom fitted furniture industry, HPP manufacturing and packaging activities use raw materials including wood-based MFC panels, cardboard packaging and polythene coverings.

Sponsored Video

Quarter sawn Tulipwood

But less than 1%  of HPP’s waste went to landfill sites in 2019, which meant it met the industry standard criteria for the Zero the Hero award.

Official 2019 figures from UKWSL showed 100% of HPP’s waste wood and chippings, totalling 832,660 kg in weight, was recycled in factory biomass heat generation and therefore diverted from landfill sites.

In addition, 100% of HPP’s waste aluminium, mixed metals, cardboard, paper rolls, plastic straps, polythene and polyjazz was recycled in 2019.

This means 251,815 kg of these materials was diverted from landfill sites and recycled.

Only 2% of HPP’s general waste had to be disposed of in landfill in 2019, representing less than one per cent of the company’s total waste output.

HPP works manager Stephen Hannan said: “We are very proud of this Zero The Hero award.

“It represents some really important changes to the way we work, and genuine engagement from staff across all levels and roles.

“For some years, HPP has been improving its recycling and waste management processes across all operations.

“This has included investing in staff and senior management training so all employees fully-understand the environmental and business benefits of best practise in waste and resource management.

“This has required changes to staff’s formal working practices and also their informal habits and attitudes. Staff engagement is vital.

“Practical steps by HPP include the increased separation on-site of different types of waste material such as cardboard, plastics and metals, which increases recycling rates.

“Our woodchip waste is used as a fuel to generate heat inside some manufacturing buildings.

“In addition, we have carried out numerous other sustainability improvements across factory, warehouse, office and trade counter operations and environments.”

HPP has been a sustainability partner at a national furniture industry awards ceremony which, in turn, supported tree planting and sustainability projects in the UK and overseas.

Environmental projects which benefited include the new 154-acre Royal Horticulture Society’s Garden Bridgewater development, which will open in Salford this summer (2020), and community and school gardens.

HPP recently invested £3million into the production of vinyl wrapped doors.