Winners celebrated at the 2016 Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management

Entrepreneurs, commercial organisations, local authorities, third sector groups and individual recycling pioneers were honoured at the thirteenth annual Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management. The prestigious annual ceremony, organised by letsrecycle.com, took place at the Landmark Hotel in London, on Thursday, 19th May.

The awards were hosted by British TV presenter and film star, Charlotte Hawkins. Sponsors of each category revealed the winners of the 11 highly-acclaimed Awards – widely acknowledged as the industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.
The panel of judges agreed the following entrants were worthy of the highest accolades:

ZERO WASTE PLATINUM AWARD, sponsored by Wastecare
Winner: Kettleby Foods in Partnership with P.H. Hull & Sons

RETAIL RECYCLING CHAMPION, sponsored by Smart Solutions
Winner: Tesco & DS Smith: Managing food waste at Scottish Express & Metro Stores

CIRCULAR ECONOMY SUCCESS, sponsored by ENEVO
Winner: Suez: Concrete blocks

WASTE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE IN THE COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC SECTOR, sponsored by the Egbert Taylor Group
Winner: Recofloor: The UK’s national vinyl flooring recycling scheme

DESIGN OF A WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY, sponsored by the Environmental Services Association
Winner: Bridport Waste Management Centre: Dorset Waste Partnership

THE BEST COMMUNITY RECYCLING INITIATIVE, sponsored by Viridor
Winner: Chapter 1 Charity: 2nd Chance furniture re-use

RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR, sponsored by Ceris Burns International
Winner: Biogen: Food waste to renewable energy, everything taken care of

COLLECTION CREW OF THE YEAR, sponsored by UKWSL
Winner: University of East Anglia: Norse Waste Solutions

CIVIC AMENITY SITE OF THE YEAR, sponsored by REPIC
Winner: BIFFA: Sheerness HWRC

THE BEST LOCAL AUTHORITY RECYCLING INITIATIVE, sponsored by Hadfield Wood Recyclers
Winner: Belfast City Council: Zero Waste Action Plan

LOCAL AUTHORITY RECYCLING CHAMPION, sponsored by Biffa
Winner: Maria Kampioti: London Borough of Sutton

Steve Eminton, Editor, letsrecycle.com said: “This past year has been a year of key milestones for the industry. Following COP21 and the EU Circular Economy package, these awards serve to show how local authorities, industry and the third sector are driving forward the resource efficiency agenda by turning their plans into reality and leading the way for others.

Keynote speaker, the Rt Hon. Lord Deben, former Secretary of State for the Environment, and Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change shared his experience of the journey the industry has taken from its earliest days. He explained the challenges faced at the time and the achievements of the sector to date. He also warned that without a united voice, the waste management and recycling industry would not be able to overcome future challenges. He urged professional bodies, entrepreneurs and third sector organisations to work together to set the agenda, achieve the ambitious targets set and to make a real impact on environmental issues.

The next Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management will be held in May 2017. For further information, visit http://www.awardsforexcellence.co.uk or contact Katie Steed at Environment Media Group by emailing Katie.s@environmentmedia.co.uk or calling 020 7633 4522.