• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Thursday January 8 2026

Environmentally-conscious apetito completes sustainable ‘deconstruction’ of manufacturing site

Trowbridge-based food firm apetito / Wiltshire Farm Foods has successfully completed deconstruction at the site of its proposed new food manufacturing facility, Kitchen West, on Canal Road Industrial Estate.

Environmentally-conscious apetito said its ambition during deconstruction was to maximise the value of materials generated from deconstruction, with the project having a strong focus on sustainability and circularity.

During the works to clear the old buildings and get the land ready for construction, approximately 20,000 tonnes of concrete from old foundations was crushed on-site, ready for use on site to create a flat, stable building platform.

A further 1,500 tonnes of asphalt has been carefully segregated, crushed and stockpiled for use under the new roads and car park.

This has eliminated approximately 1,500 truck movements to and from site during deconstruction and reduces the need to bring new materials onto site during the construction phase, which, subject to planning, is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.

In line with apetito’s commitment to circularity, three of the warehouses from the site were dismantled rather than demolished, with cladding, roller shutter doors, purlins and beams among the elements salvaged.

One of these is being rebuilt by a waste recycling centre, whilst another has been relocated for use by a company which refurbishes wind turbines, the third building is awaiting sale via a steel-frame specialist.

A fourth, smaller storage unit was dismantled and relocated by the owner, a building materials supplier.

A total of an estimated 110 tonnes of steel, equating to over 10 per cent of the metals removed from site, has been reused as opposed to recycled.

This is double the UK industry average and represents a carbon saving of approximately 120 tonnes of carbon dioxide over recycling – equivalent to driving a petrol car around the world 24 times.

Solar panels from one of the former Pie Site buildings have also been donated to UK charity Energy Garden, where they will provide renewable energy for a sustainable community hub and garden project.

In total, it is estimated that 0.5 per cent of deconstruction materials, by mass, have been salvaged and sent for reuse; 94.5 per cent of materials have been kept on site and reprocessed for use in the construction, four per cent of materials have been sent to recycling facilities off-site while the residual one per cent has been sent to energy recovery.

Lee Sheppard, director of corporate affairs, policy and sustainability at apetito said: “Kitchen West is a major investment in apetito’s future but also in sustainable manufacturing.

“From the outset, our ambition has been to create one of the UK’s most environmentally responsible factories, in line with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

“By prioritising the re-use and recycling of materials throughout the deconstruction phase, we have significantly reduced the project’s environmental impact and demonstrated our commitment to the circular economy.

“For us, Kitchen West is more than a food manufacturing facility – it’s a statement of how we can lead the way by employing sustainable practices to create a world-class, regenerative production kitchen for Trowbridge.”

Kitchen West is expected to be operational by mid-2027, adding vital new production capacity. The existing Mill Site kitchens on Canal Road will remain operational alongside the new facility.

A decision on an application to build the facility is currently under consideration by Wiltshire Council.

A final decision is expected before the end of January.

apetito is currently the largest private employer in Trowbridge, with around 670 of its 2,000-strong UK workforce based locally.

The company has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to staying in the town to retain and support its skilled workforce.