Zero Waste Awards strike gold again

The awards scheme, which is run by letsrecycle.com, recognises achievements in waste prevention, reuse, recycling and energy recovery. Approaching their first anniversary, the awards are open to all groups from the private and public sectors as well as communities and charities – anyone who produces or processes waste.

The third judging day which took place on March 12 saw a further 12 businesses rewarded for their work. Organisations are awarded a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Zero Waste Award for their achievements.

Manufacturer of portable buildings Portakabin and the City Hotel Derry were the only two organisations to receive the prestigious Gold Zero Waste Award.

Winners of the other awards included: Newlife Paints; SWEEEP Kuusakoski; Kingstown Furniture and Mitie working with the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa. For a full list of winners see the table below or visit the Zero Waste Awards website.

Portakabin

Portakabin designs and manufactures portable and modular buildings which are used widely throughout five European countries.

The firm was awarded the Zero Waste Gold Award after implementing a waste management and recycling programme which has seen them achieve zero waste to landfill at their manufacturing centre in York, ahead of their 2013 target. The firm segregates 18 waste streams for recycling, with the small amount of residual waste sent for energy recovery.

In addition, materials used to make Portakabin buildings have a recycled content of 35% and the buildings are designed to be easily disassembled and recycled when it is surplus to requirements or reaches the end of its life.

City Hotel Derry

The City Hotel Derry impressed the judges by encouraging best practice throughout its workforce as well as implementing a wide range of waste prevention and recycling measures. The hotel introduced staff training and reward schemes as well as a slimmer of the year competition to help reduce waste and increase recycling.

City Hotel Derry has reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill from 149 tonnes in 2006 to 50 tonnes in 2012. It has also teamed up with River Ridge Recycling and NWP to compost all of its food waste, with the remaining residue of waste generated from the hotel to be used for refuse derived fuel. This is hoped to enable the hotel to achieve zero waste to landfill ahead of its 2014 target.

Innovation

Award submissions were judged by: Adam Read, global practice Lead at Ricardo-AEA; John Holbrow of the Federation of Small Businesses; John Woodruff, chairman of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers; and, Caeila Quinault, news editor at letsrecycle.com.

Commenting on this round of submissions, Adam Read said: This was a difficult process with some excellent entries showcasing what is good about the environment sector in the UK today such as innovation, expansion, adoption of best practice in waste prevention, re-use and recycling. Some of the entries showcased not only what is possible, but what is sustainable over a period of time through changes to supply chains, policies and staff engagement. It was a pleasure to be involved.

The scheme is supported by a range of organisations including the REA’s Organics Recycling Group, the British Hospitality Association, the Federation of Small Businesses, LARAC, the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers.

Sponsorship of the Awards is by SAICA Natur and WasteCare.

Recognition

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 June 1 2013. 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.

All organisations who receive a Zero Waste Award will be invited to attend the annual recognition luncheon, with the first luncheon taking place in April 2013. 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.

Table showing the winners from the third judging round