WHAT COULD YOUR BUSINESS STAND TO SAVE WITH BETTER RECYCLING?
As well as getting you compliant with changes to commercial recycling legislation, installing an efficient multi-stream recycling system into your facility and driving a culture of better recycling can also help your business cut waste management costs and achieve its environmental goals.
In fact, other hospitality and leisure businesses have seen better recycling help them cut costs, meet guest expectations and improve their sustainability. And with landfill taxes rising by 20% in April 2025, improving recycling rates will see businesses save even more in future.
Saving on waste collection costs
Increase in recycling rate
With ambitions to become the “greenest delivery service on the planet”, leading parcel group DPD, has implemented numerous sustainable working practices in recent years, including deploying over 2,000 low emissions vehicles across Europe. Next on their list? Reduce waste, improve sustainability and cut costs by reassessing their approach to waste management.
Working with RCP, the team identified the most troublesome sites in terms of recycling and waste, where lack of consistent compliance with DPD’s best practice recycling procedure was causing issues. Subsequent visits and results from the free online environmental audit tool, confirmed that switching to more effective recycling stations would have a big impact.
After an initial pilot scheme resulted in six tonnes of waste being diverted from general waste disposal within the first months of Slim Jim® Recycling Stations being introduced to the pilot sites, proof of concept was clear. These multi-stream recycling stations were then introduced into a further 14 facilities as part of a staged installation process.
With various streams to collect across different areas, the team were looking for a multi-stream recycling solution with a front-of-house look and back-of-house functionality. Available in all-in-one bundles or fully customised stations, the Slim Jim® Recycling Stations allow for a tailored approach to waste management. What's more, recycling symbols and optional bespoke labelling make best practice recycling even simpler.
On sites where new bins were introduced, residual waste was reduced by a third and some individual sites achieved recycling rates of over 90%. On completion of roll-out across all DPD sites, over 500 tonnes of waste will be diverted from the circular economy every year. In addition to impressive sustainability savings, DPD have seen cost savings of 27% from not sending waste to general waste disposal.
Tighter commercial recycling rules came into effect in Wales in April 2024 so with compliance in mind and sustainability a strategic business priority, Torfaen Leisure Trust (TLT) was keen to upgrade its current waste management systems. As well as ensuring compliance with new legislation, the recycling system implemented means TLT is set to make serious cost and sustainability savings.
To identify opportunities to improve recycling across the TLT sites, a series of in-depth ‘waste walks’ were carried out. As well as high potential for improved waste separation both front and back of house, the team identified missed opportunities to capture recyclable waste in most areas. A lack of standardisation, consistency of messaging and education in waste separation were also leading to poor results.
By implementing seven waste streams (general waste, paper, card, cans, plastic bottles, food waste, and glass) across the facilities, with the appropriate streams introduced in each specific area, the trust was able to ensure compliance with new legal requirements, and it was estimated it would significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to general disposal, and ultimately cut costs.
Bespoke TLT-branded dual language spine and billboard labels on the bins and consistent colour coding across all waste containers created a clear and efficient system to reduce cross-contamination of recyclable and non-recyclable materials, allowing for optimal waste separation. Modular recycling stations were installed across the sites meaning TLT was able to implement the streams it needed, where they were needed.
To support TLT with embedding a culture of recycling among staff and members, the team also has full access to RCP’s Love to Learn Recycling Portal. Packed with free resources and online recycling training modules, the portal is helping the business to recycle better and work towards their goals through increased knowledge and a shared drive towards a more sustainable future.
Use our free online recycling audit tool to get indicative cost and waste savings for your business in just 90 seconds.
* Please find all the sources for the stats on this page at: www.rubbermaid.eu/en/sources
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