Veolia Westminster celebrated a fantastic end to the year with a 61% recycling rate for special events in 2024, thanks to their fresh approach to large-scale clean ups, which maximises recycling capture whilst swiftly returning streets to a high standard of cleanliness.
▁▁
A dedicated team of 150 Veolia workers swiftly collected cans, glass and other party leftovers at the largest New Year’s celebration in the UK. This is just one of over 50 special events handled by Veolia in Westminster every year, returning the streets to normal and minimising public disruption as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Veolia’s method of driving up recycling rates involves:
Strategic distribution of clearly signed recycling and general waste bins to stallholders, enabling them to recycle easily
Team trained to remove and divert any recyclables from general waste during events ahead of the main cleansing operations
Rapid collection of specific materials via state-of-the-art EAV bikes, such as Nox canisters that pose a hazard if collected as general rubbish, enabling these to be safely recycled.
These aren’t the only ways Westminster City Council and Veolia have been working towards net zero 2030. The majority of recycling and waste is collected by a dedicated electric fleet, which saves up to 89% of the CO2 emissions compared with traditional diesel-powered vehicles.
Since the start of the year food waste bins have been introduced for stallholders serving food at special events, enabling recycling into biogas and fertiliser. A dedicated outreach team engages with food vendors to remind them of best approaches to avoid contamination in their recycling.
For sporting events, strategically placed textile bins have significantly boosted recycling rates: at the London Winter Run 10k, for instance, Veolia partnered with Cancer Research to capture jumpers for reuse. This accounted for nearly 20% of all recycling collected at the event, yielding the highest recycling rate ever recorded at a special event in the City of Westminster at 86.92%.
Scott Edgell, General Manager at Veolia, said: “I’m extremely proud of our teams for leading by example and showing what can be achieved. Special events are full of challenges including large crowds, high volumes of waste, and of course contamination and these exceptional recycling rates reflect our dedication to a low carbon future. Of course, none of it would be possible without the frontline team – a massive thank you to the crews for delivering this impressive feat at the New Year’s clean-up and throughout 2024.”
