Wildanet has teamed up with specialist build contractor Dynamic Fibre to pioneer a new fibre-optic cable-laying process in Cornwall which will reduce the carbon footprint of this and potentially other street works in the Duchy.
Wildanet is currently rolling out its own full fibre broadband network across Cornwall with Dynamic Fibre, one of a select group of contractors responsible for the physical installation of this new digital infrastructure.
Now Dynamic Fibre has secured approval from Cornwall Council highways to use a sustainable trench excavation and reinstatement process – known as SMR (Structural Material for Reinstatement) – which recycles dug material back into excavations, after mixing it with a special binder.
The result, says Wildanet, is minimal excavated material being sent to landfill; less use of quarried aggregates; a halving of lorry movements and 50% less asphalt needed to finish the top layer of footways.
Wildanet’s chief people officer, Julie-Anne Sunderland, said: “As a certified B Corp, we’re committed to building sustainability into the heart of everything we do. We are delighted to be working with Dynamic Fibre on the introduction of SMR into street works in Cornwall. We hope that by supporting this initiative we will not only improve the sustainability of our own network build but encourage and enable the adoption of more sustainable practices by other organisations and contractors across the county.”
