John Lewis commits to recycling all plastics in UK

Retail group the John Lewis Partnership has committed to recycling all of its plastic waste in the UK, after signing an agreement with Centriforce Products to reprocess around 3,000 tonnes of plastic per year.

The deal includes mixed plastic waste from every John Lewis and Waitrose store across the country, which will be made up primarily of warehouse packaging and pallet films, as well as used Bags for Life.

The plastic will be sorted and reprocessed at Centriforces 1 million recycling facility in Liverpool which opened last February (see letsrecycle.com). The firm uses the recycled material to manufacture products including walkways, hoardings and furniture.

In its recent sustainability report, published in October 2012, the John Lewis Partnership criticised the practice of exporting waste for recycling and outlined its aim to ensure that all of the waste it produces is processed in the UK.

John Lewis recycling and waste operations manager, Mike Walters, explained that the group aimed to streamline its waste contractors, and keep track of the end destination of all the waste it produces.

He said: We want to be completely transparent in our approach to waste management and ensure that as much as possible is recycled and then reused in our own businesses. We are committed to keeping ownership of our waste all the way to its final destination, by working collaboratively with Centriforce we are able to retain control over what happens to it.

Products

We are working with Centriforces innovations team to explore ways in which we can reuse more recycled plastic products in our stores in future, especially for new store construction. We already have recycled plastic furniture made by Centriforce outside most of our Waitrose and John Lewis stores.

We have declared our aspiration to achieve zero waste to landfill with a diversion target of 95% by the end of 2013. Plastics waste plays an important role in that, but even more exciting is the possibility that it can be recycled into products we can use again.

The John Lewis Partnership has separate contractors in place for each waste stream it produces including food waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), cardboard and paper, mixed plastics, residual waste and glass.

Managing director of Centriforce, Simon Carroll, said: The John Lewis Partnership is taking a visionary approach to its plastics waste management which is an example of good practice not only for other retailers, but for any businesses with multiple outlets or sites nationwide.

“By working with Centriforce, the John Lewis Partnership can ensure it avoids landfill costs and makes an income from its waste arisings. Futhermore, it is pioneering closed loop arrangements which provide the perfect demonstration of total waste ownership as well as underpinning the companys sustainable corporate responsibility.