LEAMINGTON SPA: Wolseley’s UK head office and Sustainable Building Center (SBC) in Leamington Spa has hit the big zero on waste to direct landfill, increasing overall recycling levels to around 90% as part of the company’s ‘war on waste’ campaign.

Wolseley is driving down recycling rates at the office thanks to various initiatives. These include installing nine worm farms so worms can consume the site’s waste food, transforming it into fertiliser which is being used to improve green spaces around the building.

Other schemes include centralised colour-coded bins to enable easy segregation of waste, and the amalgamation of the waste collection services for the head office and SBC onto one site.

The small amount of waste that remains is dealt with in two ways – recyclable materials are removed to a sorting facility while the remainder is sent to an incinerator and used to produce electricity.

It is estimated that the scheme has saved the Leamington site around £30 000 a year.

Martin Churley of the Wolseley UK environment team said: “Three years ago we were recycling only about 10% and when you consider that the site has up to 600 people a day on it, it’s no mean feat to have got the recycling rates up to this level.

“We’ve hosted various ‘Green Day’ events to promote energy efficiency and waste management and it’s a real achievement to have reached our zero to landfill target.”

In addition, Wolseley’s nationwide network of branches is now recycling more than 50% of its waste thanks to a process of collecting the cardboard and clear plastic used in deliveries from the company’s distribution centres – which includes its National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Leamington Spa.

Star performer amongt the branches is the Rugby Build Center which has transformed itself from the brand’s top spender on waste to now recycling 95% of all waste on the site and has also become the first Wolseley UK branch to achieve the zero to direct landfill target.