Powerday Contributes To Alternative Festive Tree Installation

A festive tree made from waste materials, to which Powerday contributed, was installed at Mansion House in the City of London last week.

The art and science based project aims to encourage people to think about the purchases they make over the festive period and the waste they generate.   The art installation, an alternative festive tree, is made from eight tiers with tier two made from construction materials – namely refuse derived fuel and plasterboard – supplied by Powerday.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is produced from combustible materials (including fragments of mixed paper and plastics) that are left after recyclables have been removed from the waste.  Powerday is on course to deliver 97,000 tonnes of RDF in 2021.  RDF is burned to generate energy in the UK and internationally, making best use of these waste materials and keeping them out of landfill.

Widely used in construction, plasterboard is banned from landfill to prevent it producing toxic gases.  Plasterboard consists of a layer of gypsum, a fine sulphate mineral mixed with water, between two lining sheets.  Powerday is on course to recycle 16,800 tonnes of plasterboard in 2021. When processed, the paper is removed and recycled.  The gypsum power is ground down to make new products for the cement and plasterboard industry, and for agriculture.

Chris Batterbee, Environmental Compliance Manager at Powerday says: “Powerday is committed to going beyond compliance and ensuring we put our clients’ waste materials to best use through recycling as much as possible and recovering the remainder to generate energy from waste.  As one of the Capital’s leading recycling and waste management companies, we were delighted to be approached to contribute to this exciting project.  The tree is a fantastic and stunning way to encourage people to minimise waste and think about their relationship with nature at this time of year.”

You can read more about the alternative story of the tree on City of London website.