Retail giants recognised for recycling success

The ceremony in Cardiff also saw recognition given to good work by electronics producer Toshiba UK, Carmarthenshire waste management firm Cwm Environmental and Cardiff printing firm A McLay & Co.

A special overall recycling champion award was also presented at the ceremony in the Millennium Stadium, to the military base MOD St Athan, based near Barry in South Wales.

Commenting on the awards, Severnside commercial director Mathew Prosser said: “A realisation of the wider environmental effect of our actions, allied with consumer pressure and the economic principals of a better environmental performance all combine to produce the step change we are experiencing today.

“The awards recognise the achievements of organisations that have embraced that step change,” Mr Prosser added.

Winners

Supermarket chain Tesco won its “Best Community Recycling Initiative” for improving the recycling of local communities through the use of special state-of-the-art bring facilities, of which the current 45 installations in place are set to increase to 100 over the next 12 months.

The Arcadia Group – which includes High Street brands like Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins – took home the Best Recycling Training & Information Campaign award. The company was recognised for its communication efforts in launching recycling services for 87% of its 500 stores.

Clothing chain Next Retail won the retail award for “fundamentally altering its organisations' logistics infrastructure to accommodate diverting more cardboard and plastics from their stores' waste streams”. More than 220 Next stores now have access to extra recycling provision for cardboard and polythene recycling.

The “Best Overall Sustainable Waste Management Solution” award went to electronics firm Toshiba Information Systems (UK) Ltd, which has achieved a total recycling increase from 625 to 3,418 tonnes in four years.

Cardiff-based printers A Mclay & Co won the Best Commitment to Change Business Practice award, impressing the judges with a programme of change that led to a 21% reduction in process paper waste.

And, Carmarthenshire firm Cwm Environmental was named as the “Best Recycling Services Supplier” in the awards, recognised for work to encourage recycling and tackle problem waste streams at the four civic amenity sites it operates in the county.

Champions

A special champions' award was also presented on the night, by Steve Eminton, editor of letsrecycle.com, to the military base MOD St Athan, for its achievement in moving to recycle over 70% of its recoverable material in just six months.

The former RAF jet-repair facility is being turned into a multi-billion pound Armed Forces Defence Training Academy, and developed its own recycling facilities by establishing an on-site multi-material recycling centre.

Commenting on the award, Mr Eminton said: “I was delighted to present this award to MOD St Athan recognising the outstanding success in diverting such a high proportion of material from its waste stream. In a very short period of time, this defence establishment, which now has private sector activities on-site, has delivered a wide-ranging and modern approach to sustainable waste management.”