Clays use ‘Book Worms’ to help recycle waste

Clays of Bungay has diverted 40 tonnes of paper dust from going to landfill each year by sending its waste to a worm farm in Norfolk.

The company based at Bungay, Suffolk has started the initiative as part of a drive to secure the ISO 14001 environmental paper standard by the end of the year.

Clays commodity buyer David Steward explained that during the book printing process a lot of paper dust accumulated within the plant. The paper dust gets incinerated in order to reduce its mass and then the burnt ash is taken to Clay’s waste management company, ORM North Norfolk, who takes the rest of the paper ash away.

The paper ash is then spread over a worm cast and then a bi-product of compost is made.

Steward added: “We are always looking to improve on our waste stream in a novel and beneficial way.”

– Liz Gyekye: www.rwminfo.com