Wolseley achieves target of zero waste to direct landfill

Wolseley’s UK head office and Sustainable Building Centre (SBC) in Leamington has achieved zero waste to direct landfill — and saved £30 000 a year as well. Overall recycling levels are around 90%, and the small amount of waste that remains is dealt with in two ways. Recyclable materials are removed to a sorting facility, and the rest is sent to an incinerator to produce electricity.
Food waste from the site is transformed into fertiliser by nine worm farms and used to improve green spaces on the site. Centralised colour-coded bins enable easy segregation of waster and the amalgamation of waste-collection services for the head office and SBC onto one site.
Martin Churley of the Wolseley UK environment team, said, ‘Three years ago we were recycling only about 10%. When you consider that the site has up to 600 people a day on it, it’s no mean feat to have got recycling rated up to this level.’
The company’s branch at Rugby has also achieved the zero waste to direct landfill target and recycles 95% of waste on site.