Recycling revolution at Housing Units

A team of skip cops has been enforcing a company-wide bin-ban and encouraging recycling at Housing Units in Hollinwood.

The retailer set up a working party 18 months ago to address the issue at its multi-store retail park and distribution centre — and management have been knocked sideways by the results.

Housing Units director Nick Fox said: “In 2007 we were recycling nothing. In autumn, 2008, we were sending 80 per cent of our waste and rubbish to landfill, but right now we’re sending 80 per cent for recycling.

“Frankly we’re amazed at what the team has achieved, but it has also been a massive measure of how the country’s attitude to recycling is changing.”

Mr Fox admitted that when the project started in early 2008 it was surprisingly difficult to find out how to turn a business green and develop recycling programmes.

He added:“Now there is masses of help and advice on how to achieve some amazing recycling figures.

“It was tough to get everybody engaged at first, but the pace with which the team is embracing recycling has gathered momentum so that just about everybody now sees the importance.

“Our security team has a skip-cop detail who have been trained to recognise what’s rubbish and what’s not, and if the wrong materials are found in the wrong bins then they put them in the right place and endeavour to investigate where the system has gone wrong.

“We’re not perfect yet, but the more we do the more we learn about what else we can do.

“It’s fascinating and it’s rewarding, and if every business did the same then there really is a difference to be made.”

He pointed out that some of the rubbish Housing Units’ produces is sold, making a contribution towards keeping down overheads.