Runwood Homes’ improve sustainability and waste management across their care homes

1^st Waste Management, a full-service waste solution company that ensures waste is always collected and processed efficiently, currently manages Runwood Homes’ waste services across the Group. The Procurement Team at Runwood Homes recently met with those at 1^st Waste Management to discuss how the organisation could further improve their sustainability, and to find out what more they can do as a company within this area.

The Runwood Homes team were pleased to hear that the organisation is already doing a good job in regards to waste management. In the last 12 months all waste within the organisation was broken down as follows:

• 61% was taken to recycling centres
• 17% of waste was processed as anaerobic digestion, which involves the process of converting food waste into biogas, to then be used as a fertiliser, as heat electricity fuel, or converted to biomethane as vehicle fuels.
• 20% was broken down as energy from waste, whilst this is not ideal as it generally involves combustion, it can also create heat and energy which can be reused.
• Only a very impressive 2% of waste in homes ended in landfill

The team at Runwood Homes are always looking for ways to improve their services, including how the organisation manages its waste to best protect the environment around us. Care homes within Runwood Homes Group play an important role within their community and being able to protect the local area and its environment is an integral company value.

Sam Sanders Procurement Manager at Runwood Homes comments:
“We were pleased to see the positive breakdown of waste across our care home sites from 1^st Waste Management, and were most impressed with just 2% of our waste ending up in landfill. As a company, we are always looking for ways to further improve our processes and practices. We have now given 1^st Waste Management the go ahead to complete full site audits at all homes, which will help us identify ways in which we can prevent and minimise waste. We are also waiting on feedback from our stationary supplier, in regards to the cost of switching to recycled products. Once we have alternatives, samples and costs, we will look to make a decision on a more sustainable switch. The team and I are looking forward to seeing the positive effects of the active changes we are making, and we make it one of our upmost priorities to find new and innovative ways to provide a service that benefits not only our residents, but also our wider communities.”

During March, residents within Runwood Homes’ care homes focused on the environment as the month’s theme, dedicating a series of home-level activities to protecting the area around us.

Steps to improve sustainability and protect our environment are values held both company-wide and at individual home-level too.