Live Labs project update for Patchway and the surrounding area

Over the past three years, Patchway Town Council has been part of a project taking a different approach to managing selected grass verges and green spaces at specific sites across South Gloucestershire as part of the Live Labs 2 (Greenprint) project.

The participation of Patchway Town Council in the project has contributed towards achieving the project goals and learning a great deal about new approaches to verge management and carbon reduction.

Greenprint is part of ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, which is a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport, (DfT), aiming to decarbonise the local highway network.

The project team set out to investigate how collecting grass cuttings, rather than leaving them on the ground as traditionally done, has several benefits:

·         Reduces carbon emissions from decomposing cuttings

·         Increases carbon capture within the soil

·         Enhances the biodiversity of the verges and green spaces

Greenprint has showcased the power of innovation and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges. Through experimentation and investigation, the project has paved the way for a more sustainable future in highway verge maintenance. 

A browser map of all the Greenprint plots in Patchway included in the project during the 2024 and 2025 seasons can be viewed via the links below.

3.5 hectares have been subject to cut & collect in Patchway – see the areas by following link at https://maps.southglos.gov.uk/Map2/Map.aspx?mapName=PC_VERGES_MAP_31

(Click on the three horizontal lines in the top left-hand corner to reveal the Map Features – Live Labs plots are coloured red. Clicking on an individual plot will reveal its identity – including the plot number and site code).

94% of the selected Greenprint plots were in areas previously cut typically 8 to 10 times, with the remaining 6% previously subject to a core service of just 2 annual cuts. All the plots cut using the cut and collect Greenprint trial model were subject to 4 cuts in 2024 and 2025.

During 2024, the team collected 377 tonnes of grass from across 36 hectares of Council maintained grassland in South Gloucestershire - equivalent to over 50 football pitches. 

Last summer, in the final year of the project this figure fell to 192 tonnes due to the very dry weather. March to August rainfall in 2025 was less than 50% of normal in many parts of southern England. 

The table below shows the weight of cut grass collected during the 2024 and 2025 seasons: 

Parish	Grass collected 2024 (tonnes)	Grass collected 2025 (tonnes)	Total grass collected (tonnes)
Patchway	56.2	28.5	84.7
PROJECT TOTAL	376.8	192.0	568.8

 According to carbon modelling, which has measured tonnes of CO2e saved per 1000m2 of grass subject to cut and collect, the following reductions in carbon emissions have been observed in our trials:

Parish	Hectares subject to cut and collect	Total area cut and collected 2025 & 2025 (8 cuts)	Total CO2e saved (tonnes)
Patchway	3.5	28	9.67
PROJECT TOTAL	36.8	294.4	101.72

(This comparison measured 4 x cut and collect cuts against the traditional 10 x cut and leave cuts – 94% of the selected Greenprint plots were in areas previously cut typically 8 to 10 times).

As part of the project, the team investigated converting the cuttings into energy to generate valuable resources such as biofuel, biomethane, and biochar - turning waste into wealth.

South Gloucestershire Council disposed of the cuttings via anaerobic digestion (AD) and measured the carbon emissions associated with cutting and collecting the grass through to processing via AD. Our project partner authority West Sussex Council processed cuttings via pyrolysis to produce biochar, which was tested in trials as a road surfacing additive.

A key goal of Greenprint is to create a scalable system toolkit, or 'green print,' that other local authorities can use to implement this carbon-negative green infrastructure management model in their areas, paving the way for a more sustainable future in highway verge maintenance.

The project reports and findings have now been published on the ADEPT website and can be accessed at South Gloucestershire Council and West Sussex County Council: Greenprint | ADEPT 

The trials produced very clear evidential data concerning the financial cost and carbon emissions of the cut and collect operational process versus the traditional cut and leave method:

• Cut and collect is more expensive than BAU, (cut and leave).

• Collecting and processing cut grass via AD generates significantly less carbon emissions overall than BAU, (cut and leave).

• Reducing the frequency of cuts saves operational costs and carbon emissions.

• Reducing the frequency of cutting and removing the arisings has positive effects on biodiversity.

  
  

Following the project closure from 31^st March 2026 both South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and West Sussex Council will continue to investigate ways to integrate learnings into Business as Usual, (BAU):

Ø  Cut-and-collect will continue within Yate parish funded by the SGC Climate and Nature Emergency Team. All cuttings will be initially delivered to Charlton Park Biogas AD plant in Wiltshire (as was done in 2025). Discussions are also being held with a proposed AD plant operator in the Severnside area of South Gloucestershire regarding terms for the disposal of council-maintained grass from beyond 2027. Operational costs are lowest in Yate because of its proximity to the main Street Care depot - via which cut grass is stored / processed.

Ø  Data will continue to be recorded to further inform the understanding of where efficiencies can be achieved.

Ø  All sample site verges identified by Plantlife and previously surveyed for soil carbon and biodiversity changes will continue to be subject to cut-and-collect, making further monitoring possible.

Ø  The Council’s ICaN programme may include the Greenprint cut-and-collect option as a scheme that is available for sponsorship.

Ø  Regional adoption of cut-and-collect solutions for the management of green spaces has been put forward by SGC for inclusion in the WECA Growth Strategy, to encourage scaling up of regional facilities for the biogenic processing of cuttings to displace fossil fuel consumption.

Ø  SGC will participate in the FHRG Future Research Programme; to explore how local authorities can leverage green waste for local green energy generation and carbon sequestration.

Ø  Project consultants Amey have been commissioned to produce a report on options for transitioning from the traditional cut and leave approach, (BAU), to a cut and collect model – a Business Case and Delivery Plan will be produced in May 2026.  This will present options for permanently lowering carbon emissions and generating green energy over a wider area, placed in the context of the operational, regulatory, technical and financial challenges of doing so.

Ø  Officers will participate in the ADEPT Live Labs 2 Year 4 externalisation programme where project learnings will be shared at selected events across the country and via the 5-year post-project monitoring and evaluation programme led by Arup.

For more background information about the project, visit: https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/energy-from-grass-cuttings/