The immediate success of Tubex’s nationwide network of drop-off hubs for the collection and recycling of used tree shelters has been underlined, with the announcement that even more locations are now on-stream.
Taking the current total to 17, the latest hubs are situated around the UK. Each offers a place where foresters, landowners, landscapers and farmers can bring tree shelters at end-of-life and drop them off free of charge. Tubex reported that many of the drop-off dates announced have filled up, with hundreds of thousands of shelters already collected. As a result, the total of shelters collected is already double the volume collected in 2022.
The Tree Shelter Collection & Recycling Programme was developed by Tubex, the UK’s biggest manufacturer of tree shelters, with a view to ensuring greater circularity and sustainability. “Taking old shelters out of the wild and recycling them into new shelters, is the most sustainable form of tree protection long-term, as indicated by independent life cycle analysis,” explained James Taylor, Product Line Director at Tubex.
The hub network was launched at the end of the 2022-23 season, to complement the existing means of collection via site pick-up launched in 2021. As such, it offers no-cost alternative for businesses and individuals for whom it was uneconomical to order pick-up from site.
The expansion of the hub network also extends the programme’s partnership to Maydencroft, Green-Tech and British Hardwood Tree Nursey, who have set up hubs, to join those already launched by Tubex’s parent company Berry Global – Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, National Trust and Tillhill.
Landscape management consultancy company Maydencroft has opened a hub at its base in Letchworth Garden City. According to the company’s Tree Planting and Aftercare Manager, Chris Beer, “This is an important role for Maydencroft to play in the greater scheme of removing plastics from the environment. Not only do we have a route to remove and properly dispose of existing guards found across many sites, we can offer our clients this circular economy of recycling from the start, all as part of a planting and maintenance package. The process is designed to be simple and unintrusive to day-to-day operations.”
“That’s why it’s especially heartening to see new partners come on board and open hubs. The more hubs we have, the more shelters we can collect and recycle – so I’d like to thank Maydencroft, Green-Tech and British Hardwood for agreeing to open up space at their facilities to house the collected shelters.
“We’re always happy to welcome new partners, whether you have the facility to accept shelters for one weekend or many months.”
Click here for more information on the Tubex Collection & Recycling Programme.
