A West Bromwich company has invested millions of pounds to perfect the art of transforming wood waste into commercially viable products.

WBP Enviromulch Ltd processes more than 6,000 tonnes of wood a month – mainly old pallets that cannot be economically remanufactured – into coloured landscaping mulches.

At the heart of its operations at its new Brandon Way facility are two machines supplied by local Case main dealer Saville Tractors – a specially modified 988CK hydraulic crawler excavator and a 621CXT wheel-loader equipped with a 4m3 high-tip bucket.

Company owner Rod Gifford said: “Ten years ago we started to get interested in recycling waste from our own pallet refurbishment operation. Since then we have invested millions of pounds to reach a stage where we have a market-leading product manufactured in a world-class facility.”

Dismantled packing cases and pallets are delivered in bulk and discharged onto the floor of the indoor crushing house. The Case hydraulic crawler excavator features an extension to the cab which allows the operator excellent visibility while selecting raw materials to feed into the pre-crusher’s hopper. Here the chunks are further processed to remove any residual metal or oversized bits before being fed into the crusher plant.

&#8220Ten years ago we started to get interested in recycling waste from our own pallet refurbishment operation. Since then we have invested millions of pounds to reach a stage where we have a market-leading product manufactured in a world-class facility”

Rod Gifford of WBP Enviromulch.

Throughout the operation there are dust removal and suppressant systems – an important consideration in the total environmental impact of the process.

Expansion plans include another processing facility and adding ‘craft’ items such as picture frame to the company’s product range.