When 3M’s manufacturing site in Loughborough installed a new filling line complete with a different design of tray, it made 18,000 plastic trays surplus to requirements.

3M Manufacturing Technology engineer, Paul Eastwood, was asked for advice on how to dispose of them, but came up with a cunning plan to recycle them for use at the company’s site in Gorseinon, near Swansea, instead.

Paul worked with plastic injection moulding specialists, MGS Technical Plastics, to put his plan into action and it was agreed that the £8,000 saving generated by the project would be donated to plant new trees and wild plants at schools.

“It’s a win-win all round,” said Paul, who is based at 3M’s Clitheroe site in Lancashire. “We wanted to avoid having to send around 17 tonnes of plastic waste to landfill and to use it in another manufacturing process if possible.

“Thanks to the expertise of MGS, we’ve managed to do just that. It’s a great solution for us, for the environment and for the schools benefitting from the planting scheme.”

The money was donated to the charity Earth Restoration Service, which runs a schools planting programme across the UK.

As a result, native tree saplings, wild plants and planting materials were sent to 18 schools in the Blackburn, Clitheroe, Loughborough and Swansea areas to enable pupils to improve and learn from their environment.

Among the schools that received 50 sapling apple trees were Penllergaer Primary School, Tre Uchaf Primary School and Casllwchwr Primary School in Swansea.

Liz Brown, a teacher and eco co-ordinator at Penllergaer Primary School, said the school was honoured to be involved in the project. “Our school has thriving Eco and Gardening clubs and we are fortunate to have extensive grounds,” she explained.

“The new trees will enrich the school curriculum for all our pupils through the stages of planting and then nurturing the saplings.”

Three volunteers from the 3M Gorseinon site planted the saplings at the school with the enthusiastic help of children.

Castle Rock High School in Coalville, near to 3M’s Loughborough site in Leicestershire, is another to have benefitted from the planting of 50 young trees. Volunteers from 3M were joined by pupils to plant the trees in the school grounds.

The success of the project has been recognised with a 3M Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) award for Paul and his fellow team members.

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