UK's largest dedicated tree shelter recycling programme expands with new hub

Cambridge-based environmental services contractor Chaffin Works is joining Tubex®’s Tree Shelter Collection and Recycling Programme for the 2026 season, giving forestry contractors, land managers and smallholders in and around Cambridge a new local hub for the sustainable disposal of used tree shelters.

The new collection point at Copley Hill Business Park strengthens access to the UK’s largest dedicated tree shelter collection and recycling network in the Cambridge area, where local contractors and land managers may previously have had fewer practical options for returning used shelters. Its launch comes as the scheme approaches the milestone of two million shelters collected and recycled, following a 39% increase in returns during 2025 compared with the previous year.

For the 2026 season, the Programme continues with a UK-wide network of more than 25 collection hubs, developed in partnership with distributors and forestry organisations to provide accessible free drop-off points for used shelters.

One of the latest partners to open a hub is Cambridge-based environmental services contractor, Chaffin Works, with a collection point at Copley Hill Business Park, Cambridge.

We’ve seen the success of the scheme and are delighted to join, to help our community dispose of used shelters sustainably. To see so few hubs in our area could potentially be a limiting factor for contractors and small holding proprietors looking to recycle small or even large numbers of tree shelters. When I saw the hub location map, I thought that we need to contribute to the success of the recycling project.

Dan Palmer, Contract Manager, Chaffin Works.

The scheme accepts used polypropylene and polyethylene shelters, as well as mesh tubes, from all manufacturers. In addition to hub drop-off, doorstep collection is also available for a small fee, offering an additional route for estates, contractors and land managers handling larger volumes of end-of-life material.

Our protective, scalable and responsible shelters are an essential part of ensuring saplings survive to maturity. As part of our commitment for the trees, our Collection & Recycling Programme is one way we do our bit in the shared responsibility we all have to the environment - ensuring shelters are recovered and recycled at the end of their life.

The level of uptake we saw in 2025 shows what can be achieved when manufacturers, distributors, forestry organisations and land managers work together. As we move into the 2026 season, we remain committed to making the system as accessible and effective as possible for the industry.

Pete Stevens, Business Development Manager at Tubex®.

Tubex® says the Programme supports a more circular model for tree shelter use. Independent life cycle assessment research has also found that collection and recycling represents the lowest environmental impact end-of-life option when tree shelters are used, adding further weight to calls for greater recovery across the sector.

As planting targets continue to rise, and scrutiny increases around establishment success and whole-life environmental impact, Tubex® argues that protecting saplings effectively must go hand in hand with ensuring shelters are properly recovered at end of use.

To find the nearest collection hub, book a shelter pick-up, or learn more about the Programme, visit: https://tubex.com/sustainability/tree-shelter-collection-recycling-programme/