Experts based at waste management firm Grundon’s Bristol depot have helped a school on the city’s outskirts recycle more than half its waste for the first time.
With Grundon’s support, St Katherine’s School in Ham Green is also reinvesting new cost savings of around, £300 a month into outdoor facilities for its pupils. 
Grundon, which operates out of a base in St Philip’s, identified several areas of potential efficiency with the school last November when its contract with its previous provider ended.
St Katherine’s is now recycling all food waste, ahead of the government’s new Simpler Recycling regulations that come into effect for larger organisations at the end of March.
These measures, combined with more varied recycling bins outdoors for pupils to use, means the school is recycling more than the general waste it produces – 51.7% in December.
St Katherine’s new waste management set-up has been designed and set up by Charlie Powell, pictured, right, with St Katherine’s facilities manager Alex Poulton, who joined Grundon as an apprentice a year ago.
He said it was great to see genuine improvements take place so quickly into the relationship.
“Sustainability is a big push for the school and a key factor which we have taken into account,” he added.
“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.”
St Katherine’s facilities manager Alex Poulton said the school’s ambition was to be a leader in recycling and it was keen to partner with a company that could work with it 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,” he added.
“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.”
He said recycling inside the school had tended to be good, but outside – apart from one recycling area – everywhere else got 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% mark for our recycling so quickly,” he added.
“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.”
Berkshire-headquartered Grundon was launched in 1929 and today works with customers across the South of England to provide a total waste management service for reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering and disposing of waste.
Since opening its St Philips depot in 2020 it has secured a number of major waste management contracts across Bristol with organisations such as Bristol Zoo Project, the immersive visitor attraction Wake The Tiger, Gloucestershire Cricket Club and Bristol Golf Centre.
It has also introduced a £300,000 state-of-the-art electric collection vehicle to the city’s streets.
