We work hard to prevent waste in our operation and aim to manage the waste that our guests generate during their breaks. Over the years, we have introduced innovative schemes to reduce waste and increase recycling, and we have built strong relationships with waste contractors to ensure we are recycling everything that we can.
Moving forward, we are aiming to encourage the use of reusable items, therefore reducing waste generation even further. We also know that single-use plastics are a major contributor to pollution, and we are committed to completely removing these from guest areas by 2030.
Our target is to reduce the amount of waste we generate by 20% and increase our recycling and composting rate by 10% (to 45%) by 2030.
Where we are
- All of our lodges have labelled recycling bins and we have large recycling bins around our villages, including in the bin compounds used by colleagues and guests
- Food waste is collected from the restaurants at all of our villages, and at Longford Forest we collect food waste directly from lodges - this is then recycled rather than being sent to landfill
- Our waste cooking oil is recycled and turned into energy - coupled with the food waste collections, this means that 100% of food waste from our operations is recycled
- We removed complimentary toiletries from our lodges – these were packaged in plastic bottles and the feedback from our guests suggests that they appreciate this decision, reflecting the wider societal concerns surrounding single-use plastics
- We removed all single-use plastic bags from our ParcMarkets and offer reusable and recyclable alternatives
- We donate furniture to the British Heart Foundation when we carry out refurbishments - the charity sells the products to raise funds for their work, and we are able to divert thousands of items from the waste stream and give them a new lease of life
- We require contractors to provide a waste licence/permit before conducting work on our villages – if they cannot provide this, they will not be approved to work
- At our Head Office, we have a partnership with a local cause, Ollerton Recycling, who recycle dry mixed recyclables to raise funds for their charity
Where we’re going
- We will eliminate single-use plastics as part of our takeaway delivery service, moving to reusable and recyclable plastic containers instead
- We are looking at options to increase our unpackaged offering in our ParcMarkets and retail outlets
- We are working closely with our supply chain to source unpackaged products and products with 100% recyclable packaging
- We are upgrading all bin signage across our UK villages in line with the latest national Waste and Resources Action Programmes (WRAP) guidelines on consistent colours and segregation
- We are working closely with our waste providers to offer increased staff training on waste segregation to improve recycling rates
How we're doing
We are aiming to reduce the amount of waste generated by 20% by 2030.
We’re aiming to reduce waste generated in both our central buildings, which include our restaurants, leisure facilities, retail outlets and back of house areas, and waste arising from our lodges.
Figure 1 shows the total waste generated through our UK and Ireland operations.
Figure 1: Stacked bar chart showing total waste generated in tonnes for our UK and Ireland operations
Figure 2 shows the total waste generated through our UK operations and monitors progress against our 2030 target.
Figure 2: Bar chart showing total waste generated in tonnes for our UK operations
- Figures for FY20, FY21 and FY22 were affected by closures of the villages and operational restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore do not reflect a typical year of operations.
- Figures for FY20 have been adjusted to account for 35 days of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic – this adjustment allows us to reasonably set FY20 as a baseline year for our targets, ensuring we reflect a typical operating year.
- Due to the timing of when Center Parcs Longford Forest (in Ireland) opened, and the closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, FY24 was the first full year of figures for our Ireland operation. With this in mind, we have not yet set targets for our Ireland operation and so our waste reduction target solely applies to our UK operations at this time. We are committed to making real reductions to the amount of waste we generate and we hope to be able to set targets for our Ireland operation soon.
UK
- FY20: 9,751 tonnes
- FY21: 3,900 tonnes
- FY22: 8,029 tonnes
- FY23: 8,872 tonnes
- FY24: 8,992 tonnes
Ireland
- FY20: 820 tonnes
- FY21: 249 tonnes
- FY22: 924 tonnes
- FY23: 1,130 tonnes
- FY24: 1,212 tonnes
The chart shows the amount of waste generated in our UK and Ireland operations in tonnes. There is a large dip in FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic) before returning to below the baseline figure in FY22. FY23 and FY24 both show an increase in waste generation, compared to FY22, albeit still marginally below the baseline figure for the UK. A significant clear out of historic and heavy waste from back of house areas in FY24 increased our waste generation – however, we remain on track to meet our 2030 target.
- FY20: 9,751 tonnes
- FY21: 3,900 tonnes
- FY22: 8,029 tonnes
- FY23: 8,872 tonnes
- FY24: 8,992 tonnes
- FY30 target: 7,800 tonnes
The chart shows the amount of waste generated in our UK operations in tonnes. There is a trend line from FY20 to FY30 showing that a 769-tonne reduction is required to meet our FY30 target. There is a large reduction in FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic) before increasing in FY22, FY23 and FY24, but remaining at or below the required rate of reduction to hit our 2030 target.
Recycling
We are aiming to increase our combined recycling and composting rate by 10% (to 45%) by 2030 for all waste produced on site, including waste from our own operations and waste collected from lodges.
The recycling and composting rate is the percentage of recyclable or compostable materials which are recycled or composted. This means we are pledging to both reduce the amount of waste we generate and increase the amount of waste we recycle.
In addition to this, much of our food waste is already sent for composting, our oil waste is reprocessed for biofuel and our arboricultural waste is recycled. Any general waste that is not recovered for recycling is primarily processed as energy from waste, meaning it is diverted from landfill and repurposed to produce energy. Neither our oil nor our arboricultural waste, both of which are heavy wastes, are currently counted towards our recycling target.
Figure 3: Bar chart showing recycling and composting rate for our UK and Ireland operations
Figure 4: Bar chart showing recycling and composting rate for our UK operations
Figure 4: shows our recycling and composting rate for our UK operations and monitors progress against our 2030 targets.
Figure 4: Bar chart showing the recycling and composting rate for our UK operations
- Figures for FY20, FY21 and FY22 were affected by closures of the villages and operational restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This affected our recycling and composting rate due to the increased use of non-recyclable single-use items related to national health and safety guidance.
- Figures for FY20 have been adjusted to account for 35 days of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic – this adjustment allows us to reasonably set FY20 as a baseline year for our targets, ensuring we reflect a typical operating year.
- Due to the timing of when Center Parcs Longford Forest (in Ireland) opened, and the closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, FY24 was the first full year of figures for our Ireland operation. With this in mind, we have not yet set targets for our Ireland operation and so our recycling and composting target solely applies to our UK operations at this time. We are committed to making real improvements to our recycling and composting rate and we hope to be able to set targets for our Ireland operation soon.
- FY20: 35%
- FY21: 29%
- FY22: 32%
- FY23: 36%
- FY24: 38%
Ireland
- FY20: 36%
- FY21: 39%
- FY22: 48%
- FY23: 42%
- FY24: 44%
The chart shows the recycling and composting rates for our UK and Ireland operations. There is a dip in FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic). Our recycling and composting rate for our Ireland operations surpassed the FY20 baseline in FY21. Our recycling and composting rate for our UK operations surpassed the baseline in FY23.
- FY20: 35%
- FY21: 29%
- FY22: 32%
- FY23: 36%
- FY24: 38%
- FY30 target: 45%
The chart shows the recycling and composting rate for our UK operations. There is a trend line from FY20 to FY30 showing that a 10% increase is required to meet our FY30 target. There is a drop in the rate in FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic), followed by a steady increase. In FY23, the FY20 baseline was surpassed, although we still remain a little below the required rate to reach our 2030 target.
