Queensgate National Recycling Awards Winner

Queensgate is top of retail recyclers

Queensgate shopping centre has been named Retail Recycler Of The Year at the National Recycling Awards, having beaten off tough competition from big brand names including M&S UK and Coca Cola, as well as a host of other shopping centres from around the country.

Queensgate was awarded the impressive accolade after demonstrating to the judges the centre’s outstanding commitment and investment in waste management, having increased the amount recycled from 14% to over 60% in little more than two years.

This dramatic increase has resulted from a number of initiatives, including reduction in compactor lifts – by segregating recyclables from landfill waste; retailer education; the Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) waste audit; implementing a travel plan for Queensgate staff and reduction in collections of recycling. The centre has also introduced a skip policy, to monitor the amount of shop fit waste that leaves the premises.

By initiating a food segregation scheme, raw and packaged food can now be recycled into bio-fuel and renewable energy and by December 2009 181.3 tonnes of food waste had been diverted to landfill thanks to Queensgate’s innovative system.