HEREFORD company Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd is celebrating after winning an award for reducing the amount of waste produced at its Rotherwas site.

The Herefordshire Business Environment Association, a partnership project between Herefordshire Council and Groundwork West Midlands Environment Charity, presented the award to the firm.

Taylor Lane, which manufactures pre-fabricated timber-frame panels, roof and floor systems and has an annual turnover of £15 million, received the award for a waste minimisation initiative taken as part of its environmental management strategy to reduce paper use and waste at its Chapel Road offices.

Negotiations are now taking place to install a fuel processing plant for the Gatehouse Road production site and to upgrade the existing plant at the Thorn Factory site. These plants will further reduce the company’s fuel costs as the wood waste will be used to re-heat the factories.

The firm also launched its awareness promotion using Carbon Trust free resources. Posters urging the firm’s 140 staff to switch off lights when they leave rooms and to turning off computers when not in use, are all part of the drive to save energy costs and reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

Dave Baldwin, health and safety manager at Taylor Lane, said: “We were very pleased and surprised to win the award but won’t be resting on our laurels and will hope to keep on improving until we gain the top platinum standard and make further cost savings by careful resource use in line with our environmental policy.” 4 Paula McGivern, Herefordshire Council’s Rotherwas Travel Plan co-ordinator, Taylor Lane managing directors Colin Taylor and Barrie Lane, Dave Baldwin, Taylor Lane’s health and safety manager, and Paul Jury, Quality Systems and EMS Co-ordinator with the BEA awards.