Recycling boost at Bristol school as it partners with Grundon

Smarter management at a school on the outskirts of Bristol has seen it recycling more than half its waste for the first time.

St Katherine’s School in Ham Green, near Pill, is also reinvesting new cost savings of around £300 a month into outdoor facilities for its pupils, thanks to support from Grundon.

The Bristol-based waste experts identified several areas of potential efficiency with St Katherine’s last November, at the end of the school’s contract with its previous provider.

The school is now recycling all food waste, in advance of new government rules called Simpler Recycling which come into effect for larger organisations in March.

Combined with more varied recycling bins outdoors for pupils to use, the unprecedented result is recycling more than the general waste it produces – 51.7 per cent in December.

Charlie Powell, who joined Grundon as an apprentice in February last year and has advised on and designed St Katherine’s School’s new waste management set-up, said: “It’s great to see genuine improvements so quickly into our relationship.

“Sustainability is a big push for the St Katherine’s School and a key factor which we have taken into account.

“Our flexibility and willingness to try things out has been a real benefit to finding the best solution for them. Now we’re doing a better service for the school, with fewer bins and costing less money, than the school’s previous provider was.

“The benefits demonstrate the value of us being a partner rather than simply a provider of services – every need is different so we are happy to help advise and consult as required.”

Alex Poulton, facilities manager at St Katherine’s School, said: “We are looking to make our school a leader in recycling and we were keen to partner with a company which could work with us to achieve that.

“The benefits of being in a rural location outside the city mean that, as far as we’re aware, we’re one of the only schools in the area to have multiple small outdoor recycling points rather than one big location.

“We wanted to use Grundon’s resources to be able to provide a better solution for the school – with bins around the grounds – and at a better price to what we received before. The easier you can make it for the students, the more likely they are to do it.

“With school sites you tend to have recycling going well inside, but outside there’s one recycling area and everywhere else gets forgotten about.

“So we’ve spoken to the students about how we all have a part to play, and we’re delighted to have gone over the 50 per cent mark for our recycling so quickly.

“There’s still some way to go but everyone’s seeing the benefits of this new approach already, from avoiding the excess charges we were getting from our previous provider to the new outdoor seating areas and covered seats we can provide.”