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Event Recycling London

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Event Recycling London
6+ Stream SegregationGlass, mixed recycling, food, compostables, oil, residual.
Named DestinationsEvery stream lists the processing facility on the certificate.
Per-stream recycling

Real Recycling for London Events – Per-Stream, Not Greenwash

Event recycling has a trust problem. Bins are segregated, but the collection lorry bundles everything into one skip; the impressive recycling headline turns out to be the MRF operator's long-term average, not your event's actual rate.

Sponsors who now require ESG evidence won't accept that. Council licensing teams are starting to ask for destination facilities on the recycling certificate. Attendees with cameras can tell if a clearly labelled recycling bin goes into the same lorry as the residual.

Event producers need a partner who actually runs separate streams from bin to processor, can name the receiving facility for each tonne, and is honest about contamination rates when they run high.

Sustainability managers need evidence that holds up to an audit – tonnage per stream, destination facility, EWC code and photograph of the loaded vehicle.

Any London Waste runs true multi-stream collections from your bins to our partner processors. Every event report names facilities, shows tonnage per stream, and flags contamination honestly so next year's plan can be better.

Stream by stream

Streams We Collect

Glass

Separate green-lid bins on every bar. Sent to UK glass recyclers for colour-sorted remelt.

Mixed Dry Recycling

Cans, plastic bottles, clean card. Sorted at a licensed MRF in Greater London.

Food Waste

Anaerobic digestion – see food waste collection.

Cooking Oil

20L/25L drums from caterer fryers, converted to biodiesel by our oil partner.

Certified Compostables

EN 13432 cups, cutlery and palm-leaf plates to industrial composting.

Residual

Whatever can't be recycled goes to energy-from-waste wherever possible, with landfill as a last resort.

Cardboard (Bulk)

Flat-packed card from build-up and de-rig baled for dedicated cardboard collection.

WEEE & Batteries

Production electronics, battery kits and vape collection under WEEE codes.

5 steps

How Our Event Recycling Works

  1. 1

    We design the right stream set for your event – bar-heavy events need glass; food events need food waste and oil; exhibitions need bulk cardboard.

  2. 2

    Colour-coded stations are placed with clear A3 signage. Your stewards get a one-page brief on which bin takes what.

  3. 3

    Each stream is collected in its own vehicle or caged load – not mixed.

  4. 4

    Every load is weighed at the facility gate. Contamination rate is inspected before acceptance.

  5. 5

    You get a per-stream report with facility names, tonnages, EWC codes and recycling rates – within 10 working days of the event.

Who we work for

Event Recycling by Type

Music Festivals

Heavy glass (bars), heavy food waste (caterers), heavy cup waste (all-day drinking). Five-stream minimum.

Corporate Conferences

Paper, lanyards, plastic bottles, coffee cups. 3-stream stations across breakout areas.

Exhibitions

Dominated by cardboard and packaging from stand build-up. Baled cardboard saves significant money.

Food Festivals

Food waste, cooking oil and compostables are the dominant streams. Glass only if bars are present.

Sporting Events

High cup and bottle volumes in spectator zones; concession food waste back of house.

Weddings

Bar glass, food waste and mixed recycling. Full recycling is more feasible at indoor wedding venues than outdoor marquees.

Event Recycling London
Why us

What Real Event Recycling Looks Like

  • Separate Loads, Separate VehiclesEach stream goes on its own trip or its own caged section – not bulked into a mixed skip that claims a near-perfect recycling rate.
  • Destination Facility NamedYour recycling certificate names the MRF, AD plant and glass reprocessor that received each tonne. If anyone challenges your recycling rate, you can prove it.
  • Contamination Reported, Not HiddenIf a stream is rejected for contamination, we tell you and reclassify it – so your published rate matches what was actually processed.
  • Steward Brief That WorksA one-page visual brief for stewards and caterers. Contamination drops noticeably when the first line of segregation understands the system.
  • Event-Aware StationsBins placed where people actually drink and eat, not where they fit the venue plan. Placement is the biggest single factor in capture rate.
  • ESG-Ready ReportsFormatted to drop into sustainability pack templates for internal ESG reporting and sponsor post-event summaries.
FAQ

Event Recycling FAQ

Can’t see your question? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or call – we reply in minutes.

Two things matter: separate collection (each stream in its own vehicle or caged load) and named destination facilities on the paperwork. We do both. Your certificate lists the MRF, AD plant or reprocessor that received each tonne – so the chain is auditable.

Not always. Streams only improve the recycling rate if attendees use them correctly. A 5-stream station with poor signage and no stewards often performs worse than a well-run 3-stream station. We recommend stream counts based on the type of event, not a default template.

A well-run event averages 5–12% contamination on mixed recycling and under 3% on glass. Above 25% the receiving facility may reject the load and reclassify it as residual. We report honestly and work with your stewarding team to bring it down next time.

Yes – our post-event recycling report covers tonnage per stream, percentage diverted from landfill, destination facility, and EWC waste codes. It's formatted to paste straight into a sustainability summary or sponsor report.

Not in the mixed recycling stream – they contaminate it. Certified EN 13432 compostables go in a dedicated compost station and are sent to industrial composting. Uncertified "compostable" cups often behave like plastic and belong in residual. We can audit your cup spec before the event.

Yes. Glass has genuine secondary value and UK glass recyclers pay positive gate fees when it's clean. Mixed into general recycling, glass contaminates card and plastic. On bar-heavy events, a separate glass stream often pays for itself.

Yes – small WEEE streams including single-use vapes, batteries and production electronics are collected under WEEE codes. This matters for larger festivals that can otherwise see hundreds of vapes dumped in general waste with lithium batteries inside.

Residual from our events goes to an energy-from-waste facility wherever possible, with landfill as a last resort. EfW recovers energy from the material, so the impact is far lower than landfill but higher than recycling. Our goal for every event is minimising the residual stream, not just claiming zero to landfill.

Clean segregated streams are usually cheaper per tonne than residual or contaminated mixed recycling. Glass and cooking oil can even offset costs. So running proper recycling often saves money, not just emissions – particularly on food and drink heavy events.

Yes, honestly. We'll help you set a realistic recycling target for the licence pack, measure the actual result, and write it up in a format sponsors and press can quote. We won't sign off numbers we didn't actually deliver – which matters more now that greenwash claims can attract ASA attention.
Events

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Same-day collection across London

Book Your Event Recycling Today

Tell us what needs to go and get a fixed price before we arrive. We do all the lifting, load the lorry and sweep up after.

Or call us free08 00 599 99 96
Any London Waste crew carrying a sofa from a London terrace to our branded lorry