A FORGOTTEN ancient woodland is being rediscovered by staff at Waitrose’s Bracknell headquarters thanks to a new walkway made from plastic waste returned to the site in a imaginative ‘closed loop’ recycling scheme.
The staff – or partners – volunteered to lay the 1750 plastic ‘planks’ through the protected ‘Wild 
Ridings’ Copse to complete the raised boardwalk, the result of a partnership between Waitrose and Centriforce, a independent plastics recycler.
The 4.5 acre woodland lay overgrown and neglected in the middle of the 74-acre industrial estate until two years ago. Habitat surveys confirmed the copse was home to protected wildlife species including bats, badgers, deer and wild orchids.
The 268 metre-long and 1.2 metre wide raised boardwalk will enable the site’s 2,400 office and warehouse workers to enjoy year-round strolls in safety and comfort. Further work is planned to clear the woodland and build platform areas with seating for picnics or meetings.
“Plastics waste, including warehousing film and Waitrose ‘Bags for Life’, is routinely collected by Centriforce from our Bracknell and Aylesford distribution centres,” said Mike Walters, Waitrose Operations Director, Waste and Recycling. “Using recycled plastic products is one means by which we can come closer to being a truly sustainable business.
“We are working closely with Centriforce to retain ownership of our waste by identifying and developing useful recycled products that we can use in our stores and distribution centres. Currently, recycled plastic waste is being used to manufacture Waitrose construction hoardings and for outdoor furniture.”
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