Sainsbury’s Chooses Palm Recycling to Manage Customer Recycling Centers

The U.K. supermarket chain Sainsbury’s  has partnered with Palm Recycling, along with the charity organization Oxfam  and consultant Valpak, to introduce a new system to enhance recycling rates, reduce local authority costs and offer a more aesthetically pleasing and customer-friendly facility. Palm Recycling says the new system also allows councils to fulfill their waste reporting obligations.

According to a Palm press release, Sainsbury’s and Palm Recycling are working with councils to take over the management of the retailer’s customer recycling facilities, which has the potential to include as many as 350 sites throughout the UK. Currently the new facilities are in about 20 supermarkets in the Greater London area.

Palm Recycling will manage the front-of-store recycling service, which comprises standardized recycling containers for mixed paper and paperboard, mixed glass, mixed plastics, steel and aluminium cans, textiles and small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The containers will carry the Recycle Now logo and color coding to help customers select the correct container.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Sainsbury’s in this way, and the initiative shows Sainsbury’s commitment to its positive waste usage goal,” says Mandy Kelly, business development director at Palm Recycling. “The enhanced recycling facilities will offer a greater sense of convenience to Sainsbury’s customers and also deliver potential cost efficiencies for local authorities.”

According to Palm Recycling, the redesigned facilities will offer a more consistent and comprehensive service, making it easier for customers to recycle their household materials, and will complement existing curbside collections.

“We are committed to reducing the impact of our operations on the environment as well as helping our customers to reduce their household waste and recycle more often,” says Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of engineering, sustainability, energy and environment. “By making this service as convenient as possible for customers, we’re hoping that it’ll become part of their weekly shop.”

Crewe notes that initial feedback indicates customers are in favor of a more comprehensive service, particularly if their current curbside provider doesn’t collect materials such as clothing, mixed plastics and small electrical items.

Marcus Gover, director of the U.K. government agency Waste & Resources Action Programme, observes, “This initiative will improve the recycling experience for many of Sainsbury’s customers, enabling them to recycle a wider range of materials at many of its stores.”

Together with Palm Recycling, as well as Oxfam and Valpak, Sainsbury’s is working towards achieving a “20 by 20 Sustainability Plan” target of putting all waste to positive use by 2020.