Penguin Books is just one of the companies sending such books to the Reconomy Alibone warehouse in Earls Barton, a recycling facility with the second largest grass roof in the UK. The centre was officially opened yesterday.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 tonnes of paper will pass through the site each month and materials are taken into the plant and pulped before being put into bales weighing about a tonne, which are then used by other companies to turn into products such as tissues or exported to the Far East.

Mark Gray, from Reconomy, said: "We want to recycle 2,000 tonnes a week by next year. What we take in is mainly localised – it comes from within 25 miles of here."

To add to the recycling plant's already green credentials it has been roofed with sedum. Rainwater stored by the plants will be used on site and the sedum will also absorb carbon produced by the warehouse, as well as reducing the visual impact of the site on the nearby
countryside.

Mr Gray said: "The roof cost us about £500,000. It was something we suggested to the council because we felt it would give the company a good image.

"We won the contract with Penguin purely because we have got the grass roof."

Around £4m was invested in the 48-employee site and planning permission to add four new bays to the existing two has just been granted, at which point the plant will temporarily have the biggest grass roof in the UK.

Jason Gray, from Reconomy, said: "Seventy or 80 per cent of the paper coming in comes from 10 of our customers and once paper has been here it goes to paper mills or is exported to the Far East.

"We produce very little landfill waste."

As well as pulping old books the plant also shreds confidential waste. The company was originally set up in Moulton in 1962 as Alibone
Recycling and became part of the Reconomy group several years ago.