Stewart Milne Timber Systems (SMTS) has teamed up with Bromwich-based Giffords Recycling, in a move that sees waste timber product repurposed for community use.
At present, timber frame is the largest offsite construction sector with 70% of homes in Scotland currently built using this method, with the number continuously increasing south of the border in both England and Wales.

As the UK’s leading offsite timber frame manufacturer, SMTS’ construction process results in roughly 1.6 thousand tonnes of offcuts, a natural result of this manufacturing method. As a company, Stewart Milne Timber Systems has always had an environmental conscience and ensures that 100% of its waste is recycled. In this way, it contributes to the current government aim for the UK to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Giffords, which receives approximately 80 tonnes of timber per month from SMTS’ Witney manufacturing centre, recycles the material into a number of wood fibre products, such as wood chip, garden mulch, and animal bedding.
The repurposed material is also used for horse stable and arena footing, which has been purchased by equestrians such as Olympian and show jumping champion David Broome CBE; as well as ‘cushionfall’, a loose fill safety surface designed to make the ground in children’s play parks softer to prevent injury.
In addition, the timber is also recycled to make ‘enviromulch’, a landscaping and gardening product pioneered by Giffords to regulate soil temperature and help it retain moisture – saving on watering costs.
By donating timber offcuts to Giffords, SMTS succeed in extending the life cycle of the wood in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way, keeping landfill sites clear in the process.
Frank O’Reilly, Factory Manager at Stewart Milne Timber Systems, said: “With a sustainable and low-carbon ethos at the heart of what we do, recycling has always been important.
Given its many advantages, timber frame offsite construction can deliver home units quickly and provides the potential to manufacture approximately 10,000 homes or units a year – so we’re proud to say that 100% of our factory waste generated throughout this process is fully recycled.”
Rod Gifford, Managing Director at Giffords Recycling, said: “We believe that wood is too good to end up in the scrap heap, so we take real pride in our work. Through the material provided by Stewart Milne Timber Systems, we have been able to create tonnes of much-needed animal bedding – in July alone, we produced over 140 tonnes, which has since been shipped off to stables across the country.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Stewart Milne Timber Systems has continued to innovate by delivering a series of online training webinars and will soon be launching a new look website which aims to be more interactive, easier to navigate and mobile friendly.
As well as showcasing all of the latest company and industry news and developments, the new website will also feature a wide variety of video content, a virtual tour of the Witney factory and a live chat function, making it easier to contact and interact with SMTS.