Croydon Council Re-Using Waste Wood

The London Borough of Croydon, has been transforming the problem of urban wood waste into a solution of jobs, profits, and alternative energy since the late 1990's.

Croydon Council Re-Using Waste Wood London UK Correspondent: London, England Europe’s biggest city and home to 8 million people. Croydon is London’s second largest borrow yet this concrete jungle is also home to thousands of trees taken together Croydon’s street chasing woodland have been labeled the world’s first urban forest in a unique partnership between Croydon townsfolk and ecological enterprise with borrows trees up in – is wildlife and producers stable energy. Richard Edwards (London Borough of Croydon): When you consider it as a Croydon Council has 3700 trees when you lump all the trees together it makes a pretty substantial forest. When we undertake the tree works the wood that’s left over used to be waste wood from wood being either burned or sent to land fill which is expensive and not sustainable so nowadays we use that wood and we would either chip it and it would only be put in a compost or you take it to be made into charcoal or sold as firewood. Correspondent: The Borough is also home to several ancient wood gums which the council manages the techniques used in ancient times. Simon Levy (London Borough of Croydon): Copies with the traditional way of managing these woods whereby you cut the under story on a regular cycle for example hazel which you see around us here which is cut on a 7 year rotation. It gives one way of getting diversity back in these woods. Correspondent: Only part of the trees can be sold as timber or firewood both copper, zinc and tree maintenance reduce huge amounts of wood waste creating a problem or opportunity for the council. Simon Levy (London Borough of Croydon): Woody material arrives at this yard where its processed to add value to it. Ships and smaller pieces of branch etcetera, etcetera are ground up into this material which you see before you here. You can see how hot this material gets and how fast it’s composting down and this just near the surface. Some Compost is sold but most is used on council land Correspondent: Wood waste is also used for charcoal burning a traditional woodland activity. Simon Levy (London Borough of Croydon): This is a charcoal chill it’s a very simple process of heating wood in the atmosphere or near the absence of oxygen. The kiln is loaded so the lid is raised from about 6 inches from the lid. It also sits on these feet as it would burn the lid descends, seals the kiln and you put that up between the feet around the edge. The smoke coming from these chimneys turns from a white to a blue and eventually goes clear and then you know your charcoal is ready unless you blow it you end up with this product charcoal. How to make charcoal: Step 1: Tighly pack the kiln with wood Step 2: Burnintensely for up to an hour Step 3: Seal kiln, reduce airflow, cut off air supply completely. Step 4: Leave to cool for 24 hours. Correspondent: The waste wood chips are also used for fuel but a futuristic new housing complex the chips have vaporized in a small power plant supplying residence with renewable source of energy –is also the hub of an eco enterprise working alongside council by regional charcoal is finding new markets forward and charcoal made by smooth scale producers. Emma Croxson (Bioregional Charcoal Company): Bioregional provides packaging the bar coding the ordering and invoice system which all tanks pay centrally so that these pushes don’t have to invest in that enabling them to access the larger market that is being B&Q Correspondent: B&Q is a nationwide chain. Simon Levy (London Borough of Croydon): It’s a really nice way of sort of rounding circle because you got absolutely wood up from the trees round the local being you still but you’re going back into that store as a product.