Tree-mendous Environmental Commitment from Bathgate

Silica sand supplier, Bathgate, has enhanced the natural habitat at its Cheshire quarry with an ambitious tree planting programme that will see the addition of 1,000 new trees to the site.

The initiative is part of an environmental commitment that has seen the implement an ongoing conservation programme at Arclid Quarry over the past few years. The site boasts its own lake and provides a natural habitat for a number of species so the company works hard to not only protect creatures that have already made their home at the quarry, but also to enhance the natural habitat on site, encouraging more wildlife.

Explains David Robinson, general manager from Bathgate: "We have a detailed environmental policy, a number of recycling initiatives and a clear commitment to enhancing the natural habitats provided by the site. We monitor the various animal species on site year-on-year to ensure that our efforts to protect them have been successful, dedicating budget to maintaining and improving the site."

Amongst the species known to be on site at the quarry are badgers and the company has worked hard to protect its badger community, creating an artificial badger sett to compensate for a subsidiary sett that was closed down under a Natural England licence. Bathgate has also planted woodland and new hedgerows to maintain habitat continuity around operational areas of the quarry.

The company has installed bird and bat boxes throughout the site and has implemented a strict 'throw back' fishing policy for the on-site lake, which has helped boost fish stocks to such an extent that fish from Arclid quarry have now been used to help populate other lakes in the area.

David adds: "This is an industrial operation and Bathgate produces high quality silica sand, root zone and top dressing mixes for equestrian, industrial and leisure markets across the UK. However, after 60 years of quarrying here, our environmental commitment has meant that we still have a beautifully landscaped site rich in natural habitats and biodiversity and the 1,000 trees that we will be planting this year will enhance that still further."