Recycling Week 2023

October 16th – 22nd is the 20th annual Recycle Week! Created by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a non-government organisation tackling climate crisis causes. This year’s theme is ‘The Big Recycling Hunt’ focusing specifically on the hidden recyclable items missed in your home. People in the UK save 18 million tonnes of CO2 a year through recycling, but over half of us miss items in the home.

Each year WRAP highlights why recycling is important and encourages people to recycle more effectively at home. Some examples are:

• Plastic tubs and trays including butter tubs, meat trays and yoghurt pots – give them a quick rinse.
• Food tins with labels once washed.
• Empty deodorants, air fresheners, polish and hair spray aerosols –  just remove loose lids.
• Empty cleaning and detergent bottles once empty – even the ones with trigger sprays.
• Shampoo, shower gel and lotion bottles.

They aim to inspire children, families and whole communities to get involved. The campaign splits into two elements: it encourages children to take part in activities during school and it focuses on local authorities, partners and brands to share the message.

Recycling at Natta

Natta supports WRAP in our achievement of less than 5% waste to landfill. Our objective is to actively promote environmental sustainability in our construction work. With six three-way scalping screeners, we efficiently recycle and demolish waste. This allows us to reuse materials on site and minimise our landfill disposal. Scalping screeners filter through oversized material and finely crush it, so we can reuse this on roads and construction sites. On all of our projects, this enables us to minimise waste and reduce the quantity of materials and deliveries to sites. At our Copthorne project, we made a short film specifically on how we recycle on site.

Our in-house recycling includes 100% of our paper, 100% of our ink cartridges and 90% of our files. Additionally, Natta is continually investing in our plant and vehicle fleet to ensure that when renewed we use the most efficient engines. Used Plant is then sold on via auction, more often than not to be used in emerging markets overseas.

WEEE Charity

Last year we partnered up with WEEE Charity by donating old electrical items to ensure that they get safely disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. The registered UK non-profit organisation, WEEE Charity, established itself in 2016. In 2017, its growth prompted the creation of a retail shop and repair centre. The charity operates across the UK mainland, collecting electrical donations of any quality.

Funds from their expanding 1000+ regular clients are reinvested into the local community. They support several poverty alleviation projects, events and future fundraising. They offer volunteer work to people who may be facing disabilities, unemployment or those struggling to secure employment. Furthermore, these volunteers gain valuable experience, skills and knowledge during an eight-week sector-based placement.

Sources: WRAP, Recycle and WEEE Charity