Across the UK, businesses are taking recycling more seriously. Not because they have to, but because they want to do better. They’re improving how they separate waste, investing in better systems, and measuring their impact properly.
This is what leadership looks like.
As part of our 2025 Recycling Standards campaign, we’re shining the spotlight on a group of UK recycling leaders who are raising the bar across different sectors. From bakeries and cinemas to cultural institutions and commercial buildings, these organisations show what’s possible when recycling’s done well.
They’re not just recycling more. They’re recycling better. And they’re helping set the standard for others to follow.
What Recycling Standards accreditation means
Recycling Standards accreditation recognises businesses that consistently recycle to a high standard. It focuses on quality, accuracy, and real environmental outcomes.
Accredited businesses show that they are:
- Separating waste correctly
- Using the correct recycling streams
- Reducing contamination
- Tracking performance and results
- Committed to ongoing improvement
Recycling Standards accreditation is about building good habits and strong systems that work across every site. It gives businesses confidence that their recycling’s doing what it should, with clear proof of progress to back it up.
GAIL’s Bakery
GAIL’s is a premium bakery and café chain known for its artisanal bread, pastries, and welcoming neighbourhood spaces. With a growing estate across the UK, recycling needs to work at scale while staying simple for teams on the ground.
This is a strong example of how sustainable bakery recycling can work in practice.
Sector
Food and hospitality
Recycling impact
- 3,133 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 5,516 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- 18,372 trees saved
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- Cardboard recycling
- Coffee cup recycling
- Coffee grounds recycling
- Battery recycling
- Confidential waste
How we support their sustainability journey
Bakery and cafe waste can be complex, especially across high-footfall sites. GAIL’s uses a wide range of recycling services to capture materials that often get missed, including food waste, coffee grounds, cups, and cardboard.
By putting clear systems in place and keeping recycling simple for teams, GAIL’s has been able to reduce landfill waste at scale and improve recycling quality across its locations.
Royal Ballet and Opera
The Royal Ballet and Opera is one of the UK’s most respected cultural institutions, producing world-class performances in London and beyond. Behind the scenes, it operates a large and varied estate with many different waste streams.
This is a leading example of recycling in the arts sector.
Sector
Arts and culture
Recycling impact
- 180 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 403 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- 961 trees saved
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- Cardboard recycling
- Glass recycling
- Paper recycling
- Coat hangers
- Plastic keg recycling
- Non clinical sharps
- Textile recycling
- Coffee grounds recycling
- Confidential waste
How we support their sustainability journey
Recycling at a major cultural venue needs to work everywhere. This includes front of house, backstage, workshops and offices. Specialist services like textile recycling, hanger recycling and plastic keg recycling help capture materials that would otherwise be lost.
This joined up approach improves recycling quality while supporting the unique operational needs of a world-renowned organisation.
Curzon Cinemas
Curzon Cinemas is a UK cinema group specialising in independent, foreign language, and arthouse film. Its venues balance customer experience with operational efficiency, often in busy city centre locations.
Sector
Leisure and entertainment
Recycling impact
- 48 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 159 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- 524 trees saved
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- Cardboard recycling
- Glass recycling
- Printer ink cartridge and toner recycling
How we support their sustainability journey
Cinema waste is varied and fast moving. Clear recycling systems make it easier for teams to separate materials correctly, even during busy periods.
By recycling food waste, glass, cardboard, and cartridges, Curzon reduces landfill waste while keeping day to day operations running smoothly across its sites.
40 Leadenhall
40 Leadenhall is a landmark commercial office building in the City of London. It houses a wide range of businesses and services under one roof, each with different recycling needs.
This is a strong example of how office recycling can work properly across a shared building.
Sector
Commercial property
Recycling impact
- 54 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 67 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- 361 trees saved
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- Cardboard recycling
- Glass recycling
- WEEE recycling
- Battery recycling
- Textile recycling
- RecycleID
How we support their sustainability journey
Large office buildings need recycling systems that work consistently across multiple occupiers. Specialist services like WEEE, battery, and textile recycling help reduce contamination and improve overall performance.
40 Leadenhall also uses RecycleID and digital waste tracking to monitor recycling and waste data across the building. This gives building management visibility over individual occupiers’ recycling rates and contamination levels, helping them identify where extra support, signage or services are needed.
The result is clearer accountability, better engagement from tenants and stronger recycling performance across the whole building.
Kiss the Hippo
Kiss the Hippo is an award winning specialty coffee roaster focused on ethically sourced, high quality coffee. Sustainability is already central to its brand and operations, so its recycling processes need to match those values.
Sector
Food and beverage
Recycling impact
- 7.1 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 37 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
- 155 trees saved
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- Cardboard recycling
- Compostable recycling
How we support their sustainability journey
Coffee businesses generate a mix of food waste, packaging, and compostable materials. By separating these streams properly, Kiss the Hippo reduces landfill waste and improves the quality of its recycling.
Simple systems and clear services help teams recycle confidently and consistently.
Noble Rot
Noble Rot is a celebrated London wine bar and restaurant group known for exceptional wines and seasonal cooking. Like many hospitality businesses, it manages a wide range of waste types.
The business’s dedication to getting recycling right has been key to keeping those materials out of landfill.
Sector
Hospitality
Recycling impact
- 22 tonnes diverted from landfill
- 25.4 tonnes of CO₂ avoided
Services used
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Food waste
- WEEE recycling
- Glass recycling
- Cooking oil container recycling
- Printer ink cartridge and toner recycling
How we support their sustainability journey
Glass, food and specialist waste like cooking oil need dedicated recycling streams. By separating these materials, Noble Rot improves recycling quality and reduces landfill waste.
This supports a more sustainable operation without adding complexity for teams.
Raising the standard together in 2026
These organisations show what’s possible when recycling’s taken seriously. They’re improving quality, reducing waste and setting the standard within their sectors.
Recycling Standards accreditation recognises this progress and gives businesses a clear framework for continuous improvement. It supports organisations that want to go further and gives them the tools to do it well, both now and in the future.
From October 2026, Digital Waste Tracking will begin to roll out across the UK, changing how businesses record, report and manage waste data. Staying compliant will mean having accurate tracking, clear reporting and the right systems in place.
First Mile can help you stay on top of these changes as they’re introduced and as compliance becomes mandatory.
- If you’re already a First Mile customer, you can review your recycling performance and set up additional services through your customer portal. It’s a simple way to strengthen your recycling and prepare for what’s coming next.
- If you’re not yet working with us, you can get in touch either by phone or online. Our team will help you understand your current setup, explore the right services for your sector and build a recycling system that’s ready for the future.
As a certified B Corp, we’re proud to support businesses that share our commitment to better recycling and better outcomes. Together, we’re helping raise the standard for recycling across the UK.
