Amcor has helped Hepworth Junior and Infant School in West Yorkshire restore access to its wildlife pond and woodland learning area with a boardwalk made from recycled plastic. The project replaces a deteriorating timber structure in a permanently damp setting, supporting the school’s Forest School programme and outdoor curriculum. The new installation uses Plaswood, manufactured at Amcor’s Dumfries facility from at least 95% recycled plastic. It offers a practical example of recovered materials being used in long-term community infrastructure.

Restoring Outdoor Learning

The school’s wildlife pond and surrounding woodland are used for hands-on learning about nature, biodiversity and sustainability. Pupils had lost safe access to parts of the area after the original timber boardwalk deteriorated under prolonged exposure to moisture.

The replacement structure allows the school to make fuller use of the pond and woodland for Forest School activities. Its location presented a particular material challenge, with posts standing in water and the supporting frame sitting on mud.

Mark Crouch, Headteacher at Hepworth Junior and Infant School, said:

“Our woodland is now an essential element of our curriculum and our thriving Forest School programme. We chose Plaswood because the boardwalk is located in a permanently damp environment, with posts standing in water and the frame sitting on mud. We wanted a material that would last a long time and wouldn’t rot.

As an eco-school, it was important for us to choose a product manufactured from recycled materials. This aligns with our environmental values and provides a practical example to pupils of the value of recycling.

The materials look good in our woodland setting. They aren’t as slippery as previous timber structures and have helped create a safer surface for our pupils to walk on. The finished project looks fantastic and fits naturally within the woodland. I believe it will last for many years and require significantly less maintenance than timber.”

Materials From Recovered Plastics

The boardwalk was constructed using Plaswood, Amcor’s recycled plastic lumber brand. The material is produced at the company’s Dumfries, Scotland site using recycled rigid plastic waste and a proportion of recycled agricultural stretch film.

By processing material collected from farms across the UK, the Dumfries facility supports the recovery of agricultural plastics for use in outdoor products and infrastructure. Plaswood is designed for applications where moisture resistance, durability and lower maintenance requirements are important, including landscaping, boardwalks, marine settings, agriculture and public infrastructure.

The Hepworth installation shows how these properties can suit places where conventional timber is exposed to persistent damp conditions. Rather than treating recycled plastic as a short-lived substitute, the project places it within an educational setting expected to serve pupils for years.

A Safer Woodland Route

The completed boardwalk has restored a route through the woodland while creating a less slippery surface than the school’s previous timber structures. This matters for a site used by children as part of regular outdoor learning.

The material choice also gives the school a visible connection between environmental education and the physical spaces where that education happens. Pupils can use the pond and woodland area while seeing an example of recycled material applied beyond packaging or household recycling.

Alistair Richardson, Sales Manager at Amcor, said:

“It’s particularly rewarding to see these materials being used in a way that helps young people engage with nature, biodiversity and outdoor learning.”

Community Infrastructure In Practice

For schools and local organisations managing outdoor areas, the project offers a clear use case for recycled materials in settings that need dependable infrastructure. The boardwalk has enabled Hepworth Junior and Infant School to reopen access to a learning environment that is central to its curriculum.

As organisations across Europe consider where recovered plastics can be used in everyday projects, durable applications such as boardwalks, fencing and public infrastructure can extend the useful life of those materials. At Hepworth, the result is a restored woodland route that supports both practical maintenance needs and outdoor education.