Scott Bros. invests in local economy with new biomass boiler

Teesside-based recycling business, Scott Bros. has invested £750k for a biomass boiler to heat its business park.

The boiler uses feedstock in the form of Grade A virgin wood, to produce energy to heat the company’s 10-acre site, which includes several workshops and a paint shop for its fleet of vehicles.

Fuel used in the boiler comes from Scott Bros. existing recycling activities, such as the collection of unwanted and untreated wood pallets.

The materials are chipped and turned into pellet-sized feedstock at the company’s neighbouring site at Norton Bottoms, next to the A19 flyover.

Bob Borthwick, Scott Bros.’ commercial manager, said: “As a company involved in the circular economy, Scott Bros. is enthusiastic about utilising waste materials to deliver more environmentally-friendly operations.”

This latest investment is part of Scott Bros. ongoing commitment to supporting the use of green energy and utilising resources that form part of the circular economy where materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of each stage of their service life.

It also marks the next development at Scott Bros Business Park to utilise green energy. The company has already installed a series of solar panels at the site, which generate up to 250Kw of energy for the business park, with any excess energy being transferred to the National Grid.

Scott Bros. investment in green infrastructure is helping to reduce its fossil fuel consumption, as the Government encourages businesses to consider more sustainable practices as it strives to reduce UK emissions to 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Bob added: “Our new biomass boiler is a great way to reduce our fossil fuel consumption, as we have access to feedstock from our recycling operations.

“Scott Bros. is always working to increase its sustainability across the business and we will continue to look at ways to maximise the use of recyclable materials to further reduce our carbon footprint.”