Diverting landfill tax credits for environmental projects
A British conservation charity is transforming the modern headaches of tax and landfill waste into an ethical green vision for the future - through tree planting.
The Woodland Trust has created a new programme, Woodland Gems, to co-ordinate the element of landfill tax which operators can choose to divert to local projects with the aim of planting native broadleaf trees across the UK.
Woodland Gems, launched at London’s FutureSource exhibition in London in June, has been created to fill what the Trust believes is a gap in the market.
The Woodland Trust has been able to undertake many diverse woodland projects in recent years, thanks to landfill tax credit funding from the waste industry, said Gary Roberts, Trust regional development officer.
“Landfill credits are immensely valuable to the Woodland Trust,” he said. “Over the years we have undertaken some amazing projects for the benefit of both wildlife and people, such as bird and animal habitat restoration, access improvements and community events like the UK-wide planting to mark the Scouts’100 year celebrations.”
“We believe, however, that many smaller landfill operators are simply unaware of the opportunity to divert a small percentage of their landfill tax which can be used for community and environmental projects,” he added.
“It’s also possible that they don’t have the time to do so, or are unable to fathom the bureaucracy involved. That’s where we can help”.
By offering to co-ordinate and help on behalf of operators, the Trust believes it can raise significant sums of money to go towards one of its key aims – an increase in British native woodland.
With five major planting sites currently offering unprecedented planting opportunities for more than one million new broadleaf trees in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Trust is exhibiting to gather industry support.
The programme has evolved from GEMTrust, formerly a Distributive Environmental Body with ENTRUST, now gifted to the Woodland Trust.
As well as tree planting, Woodland Gems income can protect ancient woodland, improve and restore woodland biodiversity, engage local people in woodland and promote the benefits of green space to all.
Woodland Trust projects already set to benefit from LTC’s include:
Heartwood Forest: a spectacular 858-acre site near St Albans, due for planting with more than 600,000 native trees in coming years - www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/heartwood
Low Burnhall: LTC’s are helping the Trust establish a range of new habitats on164 acres on the edge of the River Wear and just two miles from Durham city centre. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/lowburnhall
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.