Company Background
Glasgow Airport is part of AGS Airports Ltd which is the second largest airport group in the UK. A recent study by York Aviation calculated that the activities and connectivity associated with the airport support over 30,000 jobs and £1.44 billion of economic activity across Scotland.
A key component of Scotland’s transport infrastructure, the airport carried nine million passengers in 2019.
Interviewee: Kirsty Webster, Sustainability Manager
Issues
Waste minimisation and recycling is a key component of Glasgow Airport’s Sustainability Policy, but with several retail outlets at the airport all selling hot beverages, used take-away cups were becoming a major waste challenge.
Not only were waste bins being clogged with the voluminous cups, but customers were frequently confused about which bin to place them, often resulting in the contamination of dry mixed recycling.
Solution
Since used cups is a very specialised waste stream, the Airport was not able to recycle their used cups through their incumbent contractor. However, through Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ‘Cup Movement’ recycling initiative, Glasgow Airport were introduced to Simply Cups; one of the scheme’s key collaborators.
In August 2019, Glasgow Airport became a full member of the Simply Cups recycling service, giving it access to both a regular cup collection service and a wide choice of cup recycling bins. An initial order of seven 3-tube wall mounted cup bins were ordered, to be placed within seven of the Airport’s retail outlets. Each bin has separate apertures for cups, lids and liquids, ensuring that the materials collected can all be recycled without contamination. The Airport then got buy-in from each retailer to assume the responsibility for emptying and cleaning their own bin. Simply Cups then provided sacks for the used cups which, when filled, were stored in large 110 litre bins, ready for collection.
Anticipated Results
Between October 2019, when the new cup bins were first put in place, and March 2020, more than 36,000 used cups have been collected and diverted from landfill or incineration.
“Working with Simply Cups to implement the whole cup collection and recycling process has been great….The cup bins are working really well, and because the signage is clear and concise there is almost zero contamination It is also now clear and obvious for passengers to understand where they should dispose their coffee cups after use. I’ve also been really impressed with Simply Cups’ service; there was always clear communication and problems were resolved quickly and without any fuss”
says Kirsty Webster, Glasgow Airport’s Sustainability Manager.
Keshari joined the co-cre8 team in 2022 and is responsible for the daily management of the business finances including financial reporting, purchase ledger, sales ledger and building relationships with customers and suppliers.
Wayne joined the co-cre8 team in 2022 and brings more than two decade’s worth of operational and commercial experience in the food service packaging and waste management sectors. With co-cre8’s portfolio of three business divisions, Wayne spreads his unrivalled skillset across multiple activities including for our Honest brand, internal Waste and Recycling Stations and System Design partnership projects. Wayne plays a key role in ensuring co-cre8’s operations are commercially viable, building and maintaining great relationships with suppliers, ensuring the smooth success of projects and keeping a smile on everyone’s face!
We welcomed Hannah to the team in January 2022 to grow and develop our Built Environment business division. Hannah brings a wealth of skills to the team including her fantastic communication and eye for detail.
Katie joined the team in December 2021, and plays a key role in supporting the Sales and Marketing Manager with all sales and marketing activity across the co-cre8 and Honest brands. Katie’s main responsibilities include pro-actively developing and reactively managing business-to-business sales opportunities, processing orders, general customer service and supporting with the creation and delivery of marketing campaigns.
Prior to co-founding co-cre8 in 2019, Peter spent 10 years as a UK Director of Closed Loop Environmental Solutions. With a passion for recycling and, as one of the UK’s leading exponents of promoting more circular solutions, Peter created and delivered many pioneering industry projects, most notably the Simply Cups scheme.
James has over 20 years’ experience in the waste and recycling industry. Starting with just one second hand truck, he founded and developed Simply Waste Solutions into a thriving, profitable business with a £35m turnover. In 2020, James decided that he was ready for new challenges and took Simply Waste to a successful exit, selling to Biffa plc for £40m.
Natalie joins the co-cre8 team with extensive knowledge and experience in waste, recycling, and circular business models, with her speciality in Finance. For the last 17 years, Natalie has worked, and was a shareholder, in a start-up, high growth to exit waste and recycling business, with 15 years spent at board level.
Georgia joined the team at co-cre8 in 2020 and is responsible for developing the business through creative thinking and effective communication via sales and marketing channels.
Rachel originally joined the co-cre8 team in 2019 as Customer Service Specialist for Simply Cups. Her role has since evolved, following the launch of the Built Environment range, where she now heads up all logistics including supplier liaising, order processing and general operations of the business.