Surplus pallets from £78 million M6 transformation donated to nearby allotment holders
A partnership has blossomed after teams working on the transformation of a motorway junction found a way to recycle unwanted wooden pallets and help local allotment holders mark a huge milestone.
Borneo Street allotments in Walsall are celebrating their 100th year in the summer and have transformed the pallets into benches and tables to be used in the celebrations.
The 68 donated pallets, from work at the M6 Junction 10 roundabout, were originally used to deliver concrete blocks to the scheme. They have now been turned into planters, fencing and bird boxes at the allotments.
Chris McCreery, Borneo Street Allotments Association secretary, said: "We have a motto here, we waste nothing.
"We used as much of the pallets as we possibly could and the few bits that were left helped fire up the BBQ.
"We are always grateful for any donations we get as they are put to good use.
"It is very timely for our centenary year and helping support our planned celebrations."
The pallets had been used by contractors working on the £78 million transformation of the bottleneck junction that aims to tackle congestion by replacing the 50-year-old bridges currently in place across the motorway with new structures that double the number of lanes from two to four.
Contractor John Sisk and Son is carrying out the work for National Highways and Walsall Council who, supported by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, have joined forces to fund the junction upgrade.
National Highways Project Manager, Annie Hyett, said: "We appreciate the patience of the local community while we carry out these much-needed improvements and understand that any roadworks can cause some disruption.
"So if the scheme can help out the community in any way we are happy to do so.
"It is fantastic to see our disused pallets being recycled and put to good use in such ingenious ways.
"And we are grateful to all of the contractors on the scheme who have made such a generous donation to support the excellent work of the Suited for Success charity."
Surplus pallets have also been donated to other allotments in the district including Wrexham Avenue Allotments.
Liaison Officer Chris Crompton told how they have also been turned into furniture, a seat arbour, ‘cold frames’ for plants and compost bays.
He said: "The pallets have come in very useful and we were more than happy to help recycle them.
"We can always find use for good wood like that."
