Recycling and Sustainability
Our recycling and sustainability approach is designed to keep usable materials in circulation, reduce landfill pressure, and support cleaner neighbourhoods through practical, local action. A clear recycling percentage target helps guide daily operations: we aim to divert 90% of collected material away from disposal by prioritising reuse, segregation, and responsible transfer. This includes separating cardboard, paper, metals, plastics, wood, and green waste so each stream can be processed efficiently. In boroughs where household and commercial waste separation is already well established, we align our sorting practices to match local collection rules, helping ensure that recyclable items remain recyclable.
We work across a network of local transfer stations to reduce unnecessary haulage and keep loads moving toward the right facilities. These hubs are essential for compacting, checking, and sorting mixed material before it enters the next stage of recovery. By using nearby transfer points, we shorten journeys, improve route efficiency, and make it easier to direct different waste types to the most suitable processors. In areas with borough-led separation systems, this also supports cleaner feedstock for recycling, especially when residents and businesses already split dry mixed recycling, food waste, and residual waste at source.
Sustainability is also built into the way we work with partners. We maintain partnerships with charities and community organisations so that reusable furniture, appliances, books, textiles, and office items can be diverted for second use wherever possible. This reuse-first approach keeps valuable products in circulation for longer and helps local causes benefit from items that still have life left in them. It is a practical part of the wider recycling process, because every piece that is reused is one less item needing treatment, transport, or disposal. We also support specialist recycling activity for materials that are common in urban areas, including metal fixtures, plasterboard, and end-of-life electrical items.
Our fleet strategy is equally important. We are investing in low-carbon vans to cut emissions associated with collections and site transfers. These vehicles are chosen for improved fuel efficiency, lower tailpipe emissions, and better performance in stop-start city driving. As more routes are completed with low-emission vehicles, the overall carbon footprint of recycling operations falls, making every diverted load more sustainable. This matters particularly in dense boroughs, where collection runs may involve frequent short trips between properties, transfer stations, and recovery facilities. Efficient routing and cleaner vans work together to lower the environmental impact of recycling services.
We also recognise that recycling is not only about collection, but about the quality of the material stream. In boroughs with strong waste-separation programmes, contamination can be reduced when residents and businesses separate dry recycling from food waste and general waste. That makes a meaningful difference to the outcome, because cleaner material is easier to sort and more likely to become new products. Our crews support this by keeping clear waste streams distinct and by handling items in line with local recycling expectations. Whether the material is mixed paper, glass bottles, rigid plastics, or scrap metal, the aim is the same: preserve value and reduce the need for virgin resources.
Alongside local recovery routes, we pay close attention to specialist recycling opportunities for area-specific waste. That includes light fittings, WEEE, packaging film, and renovation waste commonly produced by homes, shops, and offices in borough centres. Where possible, we separate these streams for targeted treatment rather than sending them to broad disposal channels. This helps improve recycling rates and supports broader sustainability goals such as reduced landfill use, lower embodied carbon, and better material circularity. Our recycling and sustainability work is built around simple principles: sort well, move efficiently, reuse what can be reused, and keep the rest flowing to the right end markets.
We also value the role of local awareness in achieving better recycling results. In places where boroughs operate different collection models for paper, plastics, food waste, and garden waste, our processes are adapted to match those systems and avoid cross-contamination. That means recyclable items are handled in ways that reflect local rules and practical constraints, while still maintaining a consistent focus on quality recovery. From cardboard flattened at source to segregated metal and timber loads, careful separation improves the chances that materials will be accepted by recycling facilities and turned into new products.
In addition, sustainability is supported by responsible reuse and recovery choices throughout the chain. We work with partners who can repurpose surplus goods, and we look for options that extend the life of items before recycling becomes necessary. This hierarchy of reuse, recycling, and recovery helps reduce pressure on raw materials and lowers the emissions associated with manufacturing. It also creates a more resilient system for neighbourhoods and boroughs that are working to improve waste outcomes without increasing environmental impact.
Our recycling services are therefore designed to be practical, local, and low impact. By combining transfer station efficiency, charity partnerships, and a modern low-carbon fleet, we support a cleaner route for materials that would otherwise be discarded. The result is a recycling and sustainability model that reflects local priorities, helps meet ambitious diversion targets, and keeps useful resources moving back into circulation.
Looking ahead, we will continue refining our sustainable recycling practices to support higher recovery rates and lower emissions across every part of the process. That means focusing on better sorting, smarter transport, and stronger reuse pathways, while also adapting to borough-specific waste separation systems that shape how different materials are collected and processed. Our goal is not only to handle waste responsibly, but to contribute to a more circular local economy where materials are valued, reworked, and returned to use wherever possible.
