The Brunel Shopping Centre, Swindon
Managed by FIREM
The Brunel has embraced the need for recycling waste and has been working towards improving segregation of rubbish in order to recycle more. In June 2017 diversion from landfill stood at 85% of waste. By January 2018 this had risen to 95%, and by April 2018 reached 97%.
The centre now has 16 single-source recycling streams which are either baled on site or collected by a dedicated vehicle. Despite the launch of a food hall last year, the centre has increased on-site segregation by 24% year-on-year.
Working with the marketing team, the Brunel created its own branding for waste management which has been used to train to all store managers in what can be recycled and the way to dispose of it. This included the introduction of a regular waste and recycling newsletter which updates tenants on recycling figures. Any tenants not following the recycling policies and procedures are fined.
The Brunel has invested in additional recycling cages and purchased two extra balers. An innovative bespoke bench segregates steel and aluminium cans and the centre is now purchasing a piercing machine to enable pressurised cans to be recycled.
The centre engaged local primary schools, offering education in recycling and upcycling. Visits are well attended and include litter picking with the local council’s cleaning teams. Schools have run competitions to make Christmas decorations from upcycled items. Coming soon is a volunteering event to support the cleanup of the town centre, making it a better place for families to visit.
Operations manager Rob Faulkner said: “I am immensely proud of the team here and the effort they have made to engage tenants and the community in our waste management initiatives, all of which have reaped improvements in segregation the amount recycled and engagement.”
