More than 200 entries were received in nine categories this year celebrating the efforts and innovation across the local authority, retail and business sectors.
This year, for the first time in the annual awards, the community sector is also represented among the categories.
The winners will be presented with their awards on October 17.
Run by letsrecycle.com, the awards highlight the success and dedication of all levels of the recycling and waste management chain, from Best Collection Crew, Local Authority Champion and Commercial and High Street Champions, through to the cream of the nation's recycling initiatives and innovation in the latest recycling and waste facilities.
The awards are supported by the likes of Defra, the Environment Agency, the Environmental Services Association and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers.
This year's shortlist includes three finalists in each of the nine categories:
High Street Recycling Champion – sponsored by Severnside
Argos Ltd – Increasing recycling rates to 61% of the total waste generated across the business in pursuit of a zero waste goal;
E.H. Booth & Co – For a fruit and vegetables recycling scheme with a chain of 26 supermarkets in the North West;
JD Wetherspoon – For its nationwide recycling initiative for pubs, recycling 5,000 tonnes of material each year.
Commercial recycling champion – sponsored by Valpak
Domino UK Ltd: Lauren Toates and the Green Team – For achieving a 66% reduction in landfill waste at the printing and inkjet company in Cambridge;
Etc Venues: 'Green Champions' team – For driving up recycling rates for the company's seven London conference venues to 41%;
Helen Peters, facilities manager, Merrill Lynch – For setting up a recycling programme with London Recycling Ltd, which has become a template for the company's offices worldwide.
Commercial waste management initiative – sponsored by Shanks
Banham Compost – For developing in-vessel composting facilities to compost waste from parent group Banham Poultry Ltd, working with TEG Environmental;
CORMAC – For eliminating bitumous waste being sent to landfill from its Cornish road resurfacing programmes, recycling 80,000 tonnes a year;
Yorkshire Window Company Ltd – For recycling 64% of waste produced by the UPVC window manufacturing business, including glass, plastic and wood.
Innovation in design – sponsored by ESTET
Earth Tech UK: Creed Park Integrated Waste Management Facility – A hybrid waste treatment facility including mechanical pre-treatment, anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting in the Western Isles;
UK Wood Recycling, Wilton Works – One of the UK's largest wood recycling facilities, recycling waste wood into fuel for the nearby SembCorp Biomass Power Station;
Viridor: Crawley Household Waste Recycling Centre – A combined recycling and transfer station complete with shallow domed roof, offering user-friendly recycling and effective traffic management.
Collection crew of the year – sponsored by SITA UK
Bromley Round 17 – Roy Ouzman, Bob Yelding, Dave Gardiner and Keith Passiful of Veolia, providing household waste collections in the London borough of Bromley;
Lambeth PM9 Crew – Louis Ribero and Gregor Unisweski of Veolia – providing household waste collections in the Streatham area;
Roger Collins and Les Dewsbury of Enterprise – a trade waste collection crew operating in and around Wolverhampton city centre.
Best community recycling initiative – sponsored by Straight
CCM – For the Goods Again initiative, employing and training prisoners to refurbish unwanted electrical goods;
Cheshire Furniture Re-use Forum – For providing a successful furniture re-use service across the county, working with the Cheshire Waste Partnership;
Grounds4Change – For raising recycling participation through community and school education programmes in the Bristol area.
CA Site of the Year- sponsored by Transform
Northumberland county council: Berwick-Upon-Tweed Household Waste Recycling Centre – highest-performing recycling centre in county with a 74% recovery rate;
South Tyneside council: Recycling Village CA Site, Middlefields – Redeveloping a low-performing facility into a covered, user-friendly recycling “hub”;
Stirling council: Lower Polmaise – CA site upgraded into modern split-level household waste recycling centre, designed by Atkins Consultant Ltd.
Best local authority recycling initiative – sponsored by Abitibi-Consolidated Recycling Europe
Lancashire county council – Promotion and delivery of a battery recycling scheme through schools in Lancashire;
West Lancashire district council – For increasing the take-up of recycling in Skelmersdale;
Westminster city council – For the chute recycling service for blocks of flats.
Local authority recycling champion – sponsored by UPM
Imogen Brettell, South Ribble borough council – For playing an instrumental role in the launch of a new waste collection and recycling service;
Sue Goff, London Borough of Waltham Forest – For her dedication and hard work in involving the community and staff to drive up household waste recycling rates
Kelly Reynolds, Manchester city council – For her hands-on and well-organised approach to raising awareness of recycling among residents in Manchester.
Judging
Chairman of the panel of judges is Chris Davey, manager of local authority relations for the Waste & Resources Action Programme. Mr Davey said: “Judging this year was, unbelievably, even harder than in previous years. I was very impressed by the number of entries and by the number of local solutions that had been found which resulted in increased recycling collections and improvements in the amount of material going back into beneficial use.
Steve Eminton, editor of letsrecycle.com, said: “We've seen a phenomenal number of entries to the Awards for Excellence this year, which really shows how many examples of good work are going on all around us within local authorities, waste management companies and community groups.
“And, with businesses facing extra requirements to pre-treat and recycle their waste from next month, it was also good to see another strong field in the commercial waste categories, as more and more waste producers seek a more sustainable route.”
Mr Eminton added: “Congratulations must go to those who have been shortlisted as finalists, but I would also like to thank and praise all those who submitted such exceptional entries this year.”
Enquiries about the awards can be made to Vicki McKellar on: 020 7633 4500 and to purchase Awards ceremony tickets, email vicki.m@letsrecycle.com.
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