Commercial Waste Services and its long-term partner Veolia have officially been shortlisted in multiple categories at the 2020 National Recycling Awards. Taking place this December at the London Hilton Park Lane, the National Recycling Awards are known for being the most prestigious awards ceremony in the recycling and resource management sector. The event is organised by the Material Recycling World publication and seeks to bring together key players in the industry.
National Recycling Awards categories
Commercial Waste Services has been shortlisted under the following categories:
Social Value Initiative: Road to Work
In partnership with Veolia, the Road to Work scheme provides a pathway to employment for vulnerable communities experiencing homelessness. The scheme combines specialist support services like counselling and advice with flexible workplace arrangements. Since the introduction of the trial, the programme has provided over 150 employment opportunities to homeless people. It currently has 18 candidates, 13 of which are under long-term employment.
Partnership Excellence (Public/Private Sector): Waste Matters
Commercial Waste Services launched Waste Matters in partnership with Heart of London Business Alliance — a Business Improvement District operating in the West End — with the aim to drastically improve the street scene. The successful pilot substantially decreased the number of bags presented outside of designated time bands, achieving a 69% decrease in the first trial (targeted in Piccadilly and St James) and a 45% decrease in the second trial (Leicester Square).
Related read: Clean streets with Heart of London’s Waste Matters project
Partnership Excellence (Commercial): Central Hall
Over the course of two years, Commercial Waste Services worked with Central Hall to ensure that the venue gained sustainability credentials to match its ambitions to become one of the greenest event venues in central London. The project propelled Central Hall from a recycling rate of just 11% in 2017 to an average of 68% in 2019. Between 2017 and 2019, this 57% increase in recycling saw Central Hall’s carbon savings improve by 601%.
Download the full Central Hall case study here.
Partnership Excellence (Commercial): Wellington House
Commercial Waste Services launched an ambitious waste consolidation project at Wellington House to decrease vehicle movements in the local area. Road vehicles are the main cause of London’s air pollution, contributing to the early deaths of over 9,000 Londoners every year. Streamlining the waste services at Wellington House prevented an estimated 2,080 vehicle movements in the Strand per year, equating to a 66% annual reduction. This not only significantly reduced congestion, but the decrease in emissions has positively impacted the local air quality. During this time, the Wellington House recycling rate increased by 15% and they have also managed to achieve significant cost savings.
Download the full Wellington House case study here.
Small Campaign of the Year: The Giving Bear
Westminster City Council partnered with Veolia and New West End Company (NWEC) to launch ‘The Giving Bear’, a life-size light sculpture of a polar bear, made from 3,000 reused milk plastic bottles. The project promoted sustainable waste behaviour and charitable giving over the festive season. The installation was connected to tap point technology raising money for the Hidden Network, a campaign dedicated to ending rough sleeping in Westminster. The project raised £750, making the bear the most popular tap-point installation across Westminster’s Hidden Network campaign.
Download our recycling guide
Want to learn more about recycling and how your business can improve waste management? We have created a guide that explains how to identify your waste streams, what recycling services are available to you and the importance of choosing the right collection services for your needs. With additional links throughout, this guide is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their waste management.
