Bradford Council saves £25,000 by recycling

About 18 months ago, refuse charges were escalating out of control at the wholesale
market supplying local retailers with fruit and veg. 1,800 tons of waste including cardboard and polythene shrinkwrap, was going straight into landfill at a cost of £80,000 a year. With 30% now being recycled, it's already showing a saving of £25,000 a year!

40 tonnes of fruit and veg waste per month are now sent to Yorkshire's water treatment works, where it is mixed with slurry to form compost for recycling to agriculture, land restoration and landscaping.
15 tonnes of cardboard per month is being recycled into ½ tonne bales and sold to a local paper processor.
Now they are turning their attention to plastics and the Council has struck a deal with Cromwell Plastics Recycling who will buy the shrinkwrap material, collecting when it backloads after a delivery, thus saving on transportation costs. The polythene is already baled by the Council and Cromwell grade it, after which is turned back into black refuse sacks and sold back to Councils, closing the loop!
Colin Wolstenholme, Marketing General Manager of Bradford Council, said, 'The Council is committed to protecting and enhancing the environment and keen to endorse the three Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. Since January 2005, tenants have taken recycling waste seriously and awareness of reducing waste that goes to landfill means they are not only helping the environment but also are saving money.'

Cromwell Polythene has 'closed the loop' by recycling waste plastics into refuse sacks

Cromwell Polythene is a leading UK supplier of refuse sacks, bin liners and bags to councils and the waste management, healthcare, cleaning and hygiene sectors.

They have been established for nearly 25 years, during which time they have committed themselves to reducing their environmental footprint by not only promoting recycled polythene wherever possible in the manufacture of sacks, bin liners and bags that they sell, but also in collecting waste plastics in return loads for recycling.

Their plastics recovery and recycling activities – currently 50% by weight of total sales – supply waste plastics into UK reprocessors and thereby return waste packaging to the production cycle.

Their aim to is sell products made from recycled material and encourage their use in order to develop sustainable markets. The majority of their stock range is produced from 97% recycled polythene.