centerparcs.co.uk          

Waste reduction and recycling

Image of forest floor and tree trunks with sun shining in
Figure 1: Stacked bar chart showing total waste generated in tonnes for our UK and Ireland operations. See full dataset for all data. Figure 1: Stacked bar chart showing total waste generated in tonnes for our UK and Ireland operations

 

 

Figure 2 shows the total waste generate through our UK central buildings and monitors progress against our 2030 target

Figure 2: Bar chart showing total waste generated in tonnes for our UK operations. See text text description for figure 2 for full details. 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, we do not yet have a full year of figures for our Ireland operation. With this in mind, we cannot currently set meaningful 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 once we have a full year of data available to us.

UK
  • FY20: 9,751 tonnes
  • FY21: 3,900 tonnes
  • FY22: 8,029 tonnes
  • FY23: 8,872 tonnes
Ireland
  • FY20: 820 tonnes
  • FY21: 249 tonnes
  • FY22: 924 tonnes
  • FY23: 1,130 tonnes

The chart shows the amount of waste generated in our UK and Ireland operations in tonnes. There is a large dip at FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic) before returning to below the baseline figure in FY22. FY23 depicts a further reduction in total waste.

  • FY20: 9,751 tonnes
  • FY21: 3,900 tonnes
  • FY22: 8,029 tonnes
  • FY23: 8,872 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 at FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic) before increasing to below the required rate of reduction (and indeed the FY30 target) in FY22.

 

Recycling

We are aiming to increase our combined recycling and composting rate 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 from waste. 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, and our 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.

 

Figure 3: Bar chart showing recycling and composting rate for our UK and Ireland operations

Bar chart showing recycling and composting rate for our UK operations. See text description of figure 4 for a full description of the image. See full dataset for all data. 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 recycling and composting rate for our UK operations. See full dataset for all data. Figure 4: Bar chart showing 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, we do not yet have a full year of figures for our Ireland operation. With this in mind, we cannot currently set meaningful 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 once we have a full year of data available to us.

UK
  • FY20: 35%
  • FY21: 29%
  • FY22: 32%
  • FY23: 36%

Ireland

  • FY20: 36%
  • FY21: 39%
  • FY22: 48%
  • FY23: 42%

The chart shows the recycling and composting rate for our UK and Ireland operations. There is a dip in FY21 (attributed to the impact of closures due to the pandemic). The figure for FY22 (UK operations) has not yet returned to the baseline, whereas the figure for FY22 (Ireland operations) has slightly surpassed the baseline figure.

  • FY20: 35%
  • FY21: 29%
  • FY22: 32%
  • FY23: 36%
  • 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) which is starting to improve in FY23, albeit still below the required rate to reach our 2030 target.

 

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 volume of recycling by 10% 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 have ensured all products used on our villages are free of microbeads, including products used during spa treatments
  • We removed all single-use plastic bags from our ParcMarkets and offer reusable and recyclable alternatives
  • We removed all plastic ice cream spoons and replaced them with wooden alternatives
  • We removed plastic straws from our villages and swapped to paper straws instead
  • We donate lodge inventory 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 landfill 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

How we're doing

We are aiming to reduce the amount of waste generated from our own operations and central buildings 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 guests’ stay in our lodges. 

 

Figure 1 shows the total waste generated through our UK and Ireland central buildings.