Recycling and Sustainability for Garden Fencing

Our commitment to responsible garden fencing and sustainable fence services is rooted in practical steps that reduce waste, extend material life and help local communities. We design processes for every stage of a fence's life — from sourcing reclaimed posts to diverting end-of-life panels from landfill. This page explains our targets, partnerships and on-the-ground recycling activity so you can see how backyard fencing and fencing for gardens can be part of a circular economy.

We have set a clear recycling percentage target: achieve an 85% recovery and recycling rate for all fencing materials by the end of 2028 across our operations. That target covers timber, metal fixings, composite boards and plastic components; it reflects both the materials we collect on-site and what we divert through local transfer stations and reuse networks.

Local recycling activity varies by area: many boroughs run separated collections where green and wood waste go to a different stream than dry recyclables, while some operate dual-stream systems for paper/plastics and organics. We follow local authority rules for each job and adapt our sorting on-site to make sure reclaimed fence posts, panels and metal posts are separated correctly before transfer. Key activities include:

• On-site sorting of timber, metal and plastic components
• Delivery of clean timber to wood chipping and biomass processors
• Metal fixings to scrap yards and specialist recyclers for reclamation

Sustainable Materials and Reuse

We prioritise reclaimed and recycled materials where appropriate for garden fences, choosing recycled plastic railings, FSC or reclaimed timber and galvanized steel posts that are easier to recycle at end-of-life. Using reclaimed panels reduces embodied carbon and keeps useful boards in service. Our specification work for each fence project includes a materials audit so installers know which parts should be reused, repaired or recycled.

Partnerships with charities and community organisations are central to our reuse strategy. We coordinate with local community reuse centres and social enterprises to donate intact panels and structural posts for community allotments, school gardens and neighbourhood repair projects. These relationships ensure that usable fence components are diverted to people who will give them a second life rather than sending them to a skip.

From a logistics perspective, local transfer stations and civic amenity sites act as hubs where separated loads are consolidated. We work with both municipal facilities and private transfer stations that accept segregated timber, metal and hard plastics. Our logistics planning takes into account borough-specific waste separation guidelines — for instance, several boroughs require green waste to be presented separately and have specialist routes for bulky timber items — so collected fencing materials reach appropriate processors efficiently.

Transport, Low-Carbon Vans and Route Efficiency

Our fleet strategy addresses emissions from transport: we operate a mix of hybrid and fully electric low-carbon vans for local deliveries and collections, and we aim to transition to a 100% low-emission fleet for urban routes by 2027. Telematics and route optimisation are used to minimise mileage and idling time, reducing fuel use and improving overall carbon performance for garden fence installs and removals.

Where longer distances are unavoidable we combine loads to transfer stations to reduce vehicle movements. Consolidating drop-offs not only cuts emissions but improves recovery rates because larger, pre-sorted loads are easier for processors to handle. We report on vehicle emissions and recycling rates as part of our annual sustainability review to demonstrate progress toward our 85% recycling target.

Community engagement and charity partnerships also help reduce waste: we run collection days where neighbours can bring usable panels to be rehomed, and we offer removal of old fence sections to charities that refurbish and resell materials. Such schemes reduce landfill and foster local circularity, particularly in areas where borough-level waste separation supports reuse of timber and metal.

Measuring performance is essential. We track kilograms of timber, metal and plastic diverted, the number of panels refurbished for reuse and the percentage of total fencing materials recycled each quarter. These metrics inform purchasing choices for new materials and help us prioritise design changes that make future recovery easier — for example, minimising mixed-material connections that complicate separation.

Local transfer stations are key partners: they accept pre-sorted loads directly from our crews and route materials to wood chippers, metal recyclers and specialist composite processors. Many boroughs support these flows with separate bulky waste collections for timber and garden waste, and we adapt our service to align with those schedules to maximise reuse opportunities for fence components.

Our long-term ambition is to normalise circular practices in every garden fence project we undertake. That means specifying recyclable fixings, designing for disassembly, expanding charity partnerships and continuing to invest in low-carbon vans and route optimisation. We believe responsible garden fencing practices protect neighbourhoods and the environment: by pursuing an 85% recycling target, working with local transfer stations and charities, and using low-emission vehicles, we steadily reduce the carbon footprint of backyard fencing while keeping materials in use for as long as possible.