The three successful candidates were joined by a further 33 firms, community organisations and local authorities, all of which claimed Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended awards for their commitment towards waste prevention.
Organised by letsrecycle.com, the long-running awards scheme celebrates the most innovative and successful initiatives from anyone who produces or processes waste in the private and public sectors, as well as those in community groups and charities.
The awards were designated by a panel of waste prevention experts during a day of judging which took place on September 23.
Biotechnology development firm Thermofisher Scientific, the intu Chapelfield shopping centre in Norwich, and waste management firm Reconomy, were all honoured with a Gold award.
In addition, the Silver award winners included M&M Direct, Tetley tea producer Tata Global Beverages and Greater London Authority recycling scheme FoodSave.
‘High standard’
Sarahjane Widdowson of Ricardo-AEA, who sat as one of the judges on the panel, congratulated the ‘incredibly high standard’ of the entries.
She said: “Congratulations to all of the entrants to the Zero Waste Awards, the standards were incredibly high and it was fantastic to see so many organisations going the extra mile to achieve zero waste.”
US-based Thermofisher Scientific submitted its Inchinnan multi mix manufacturing and distribution facility for the awards, which produces ‘cell culture media and synthetic Oligo-Nucleotides for the LSG division’. A recent external audit by Valpal confirmed that the site had a 100% landfill diversion rate, and a recycling rate of 87%.
The firm caught the judges’ attention with its annual commitment to Earth Day and work with waste vendor Wm Tracey. The firm ‘went the extra mile’ to prove its commitment to increased recycling, reuse and energy recovery.
Meanwhile, the intu Chapelfield shopping centre was branded a ‘refreshing’ private sector entry, which boasted impressive sorting of waste streams, close engagement with tenants and shoppers, and an innovative scheme to provide training opportunities for serving prisoners in the area.
And, Reconomy was lauded for partnering with hotel chain Travelodge, developing a reuse and recycling scheme to collect around 1,500 unwanted sofa beds from across the UK for the British Heart Foundation.
The charity has so far made in the region of £75,000 from the scheme – which is being reinvested into the communities that local BHF stores support.
Judges
Award submissions were judged by: John Holbrow from the Federation of Small Businesses; Sarahjane Widdowson, waste management and resource efficiency lead at consultancy Ricardo-AEA, and Tom Goulding, news reporter at letsrecycle.com.
If you think your organisation is worthy of recognition simply prepare and submit your own entry to the Zero Waste Awards. The next deadline for entries is December 1. The awards are open to any organisation or business based in the UK or overseas and full entry criteria and details can be found on the Zero Waste Awards website.
Recipients of a Gold Zero Waste Award will receive further recognition for their commitment to reducing waste to landfill, by being automatically entered into the Zero Waste Champion category at the Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.
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