ECOLOGICAL TREATMENT SYSTEMS

Our Story

In 2018 we finished developing our ground breaking print studio. A major issue for any print manufacturing plant is the disposal of contaminated waste water and inks. Investigations revealed that there were no existing methods readily available to treat print waste sustainably. Therefore we took matters into our own hands and became the first print works in the country (possibly the world) to install a Living Water Ecological Treatment System which is based upon wetland ecology principles, treating our print waste whilst also creating new habitats and increasing biodiversity.

Wetlands

Wetlands are some of the oldest and most complex habitats on Earth, rivalling Tropical Rainforests in the number of species they support. The term Wetland describes any habitat characterised by standing water or saturated soil for a large part of the year.

Living Water Ecological Treatment Systems

Wetlands, in nature, perform the similar function to the liver in animals, purifying water within the ecosystem. Wetlands provide a safe, stable, aerobic environment that attracts bacteria and invertebrates such as nematodes. In exchange, these organisms break down sediments, nutrients and toxins into a form that plants can utilise. The symbiotic cycle continues, benefitting the entire habitat and greater ecosystem.

Designing R&W’s Ponds

Each plant species responds differently to waste, therefore it is essential to match the ecological process to the pollutant, maximising efficiency and effectiveness. A complex effluent can require up to six ecological processes. Our system contains 21 species of plant.

With the help of Living water we have designed on-site treatment for our print waste water that leads to an ecology rather than simply a discharge into a water course, while also creating habits and increasing biodiversity.

Willow Nursery

The various species of Willow planted around the ponds utilise the treated water. They love the wet and are excellent trees to absorb the run off from our treatment system. We coppice these trees every year, using the whips for new planting and Willow Weaving.