Recycling and Sustainability

Our recycling and sustainability approach is built around practical action, careful sorting, and a clear commitment to reducing what goes to landfill. Across the communities we serve, the goal is not only to collect waste efficiently, but to help keep reusable materials in circulation for longer. That means prioritising recycling performance, choosing smarter transport, and supporting local disposal routes that make it easier for residents and businesses to separate materials responsibly. In many boroughs, the everyday focus is on mixed recycling, food waste, cardboard, metals, plastics, and green waste, with waste separation tailored to local collection rules and housing patterns.

We are working toward a 75% recycling target, reflecting a steady commitment to diverting more waste away from landfill and toward recovery streams. This target is supported by continuous improvements in sorting, collection planning, and material handling. We also encourage reuse where possible, because the greenest item is often the one that never becomes waste in the first place. By combining responsible collection with better separation, our recycling services can help reduce contamination and improve the quality of recovered materials.

A key part of this sustainability strategy is our use of low-carbon vans for local collections and site visits. These vehicles are chosen to reduce emissions and improve air quality while still delivering reliable service in busy urban streets and residential areas. The move toward lower-emission transport supports a broader effort to make every stage of the waste journey more efficient. Whether travelling through tightly packed borough roads or making repeat pickups from commercial premises, greener fleet choices help lower the overall environmental footprint of our recycling operations.

Local transfer stations play an important role in keeping the recycling process moving smoothly. These facilities help consolidate loads, improve sorting efficiency, and send materials to the most suitable treatment or reprocessing routes. For areas with dense housing and limited storage space, transfer stations are especially valuable because they reduce vehicle movements and support a faster turnaround for collected materials. They also help separate streams such as mixed dry recycling, bulky items, and residual waste so that each can be handled appropriately.

In boroughs where waste separation is a central part of local collection systems, we align our recycling work with the way households and businesses already sort their materials. That can mean handling paper and card separately from glass and cans, or managing food waste alongside garden waste where local systems permit. This borough-by-borough approach makes it easier to match collection methods with local authority expectations and improve recovery rates. It also supports a more informed, consistent recycling service across different neighbourhoods and property types.

Sustainability is not only about where waste goes, but also about how far useful items can travel before they are discarded. We support partnerships with charities that give suitable items a second life, including furniture, household goods, textiles, books, and office equipment where appropriate. These partnerships help extend the lifespan of reusable materials and can benefit local good causes at the same time. By directing eligible items away from disposal and toward reuse, our recycling and sustainability work becomes more circular, practical, and socially valuable.

Our recycling activity also includes careful handling of bulky waste and refurbishment-led diversion where possible. Instead of treating every collection as material for disposal, items are assessed for reuse, repair, or material recovery first. This is particularly useful for office clearances, end-of-tenancy clearances, and household moves, where furniture, metal fixtures, and electrical items may still have value. By separating these streams early, we can reduce unnecessary waste and improve the proportion of material that is recycled or repurposed.

Another important part of the recycling process is contamination prevention. Clean streams of recyclables are far more likely to be processed successfully, so we pay close attention to how materials are loaded, sorted, and transported. In practice, that means separating recyclable materials from non-recyclable contamination wherever possible, keeping different waste types distinct, and directing each load to the most suitable facility. This attention to detail helps make the recycling percentage target more achievable and supports better outcomes for the wider waste system.

We also recognise the value of local infrastructure in making sustainable waste management work day after day. Transfer stations, reuse networks, and charitable partners all help create a joined-up system that reduces disposal pressure and supports resource recovery. Combined with low-carbon vans and a borough-aware approach to waste separation, these measures allow recycling services to be more responsive to local needs while still keeping sustainability at the centre of the operation.

Looking ahead, the focus remains on improving recycling rates, expanding reuse opportunities, and cutting emissions across the collection chain. Each load collected, sorted, and redirected through the right channel contributes to a more sustainable future. By working with local transfer stations, supporting charities that extend item lifecycles, and operating low-carbon vans, our recycling and sustainability approach aims to create real environmental value. It is a practical model designed to make responsible waste handling easier, cleaner, and more effective for the communities we serve.