Spinning Gate lands second Green Apple award

Spinning Gate Shopping Centre in Leigh and its waste management provider B&M Waste Services have achieved a Green Apple award for Environmental Best Practice for the second year running.

In 2017 the award was presented for the Centre’s waste management achievements which ensured 100% of the waste produced from the site was diverted from landfill. Following a number of environmental successes in 2018, Spinning Gate and B&M Waste have again received the Green Apple award for Environmental Practice 2018.

Environmental successes included:

• Reducing the total volume of waste produced from site by 6% from 107,300kg waste produced in 2017 to 100,250kg in 2018.
• The volume of waste recycled was increased by 40% from 42kg in 2017 to 60kg in 2018.
• 100% of the waste processed from site was diverted from landfill.
• A unit refurbishment took place and 62 tonnes of rubble was removed from site and transported to a waste recycling centre and reused as hardcore.
• The centre reduced its energy consumption by 4% saving 5,442 units of electricity.

During the year the centre implemented a number of environmental initiatives to help achieve the award, these included:

• Introducing a digital communications with its retail stores, rather than issuing in hard copy format, not only reducing printing costs but paper costs too.
• The centre sourced a recycling charity who collected used IT and electrical equipment from site.
• The centre also introduced a used postage stamp recycling scheme, inviting shoppers to drop off their used postage stamps, the centre then sends onto Kicks Count charity for recycling.

Spinning Gate Centre Manager Karen Cox, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive another Green Apple Environmental Award.  The centre team work incredibly hard and are fully committed, separating waste in the different waste streams, ensuring there are no contamination and understand the importance of environmental sustainability.”

David Carter, Account Manager at B&M Waste Services said: “We are so proud to have jointly received yet another Green Apple Award with our customer Spinning Gate Shopping Centre. The centre team have fully embraced waste minimisation, recycling and zero waste to landfill across the site and are always looking at innovative ways to further improve their sustainable waste strategy.”

Spinning Gate Shopping Centre will attend an award ceremony in November at the Houses of Parliament, London to collect the award.

To celebrate its second Green Apple award, Spinning Gate are hosting “apple’s up” a month of apple themed free children’s workshops during October – the National Apple month.