Case Studies

Vital statistics:

Project: Implementing a waste recycling scheme
Client: Garden Centre
Sector(s): Retail and wholesale
Material(s): General waste, glass, food and mixed recycling
Services: Segregated waste solution, wheelie bin collection and skip provision
Location: Nottingham
Contract Start Date: 2010
Contract Completion Date: Ongoing

In brief…

A family-run garden centre in Nottingham has been proudly offering quality plants and products to its customers for over 40 years. With a strong focus on customer service, it has grown to accommodate a wide selection of products and now boasts a family-friendly cafe for customers to eat and meet. 

For over a decade, Ward has been working with the team to meet their growing waste and recycling needs by offering scalable solutions that expand with the needs of the business. 

An environmental challenge

Before bringing Ward onboard, the garden centre had no recycling strategy in place. All waste was collected together with just one rear end loader (REL) for its disposal . The same waste management solution was used throughout the centre, including its popular Café.

A green-fingered approach to recycling

The Garden Centre team brought Ward on board to review their waste strategy and offer solutions that would boost their green credentials and make their operations more sustainable. 

Making their waste disposal process run more smoothly was another key aim for the business.

Ward proposed a full waste segregation strategy, providing separate waste bins that split out general waste, glass, food and mixed recycling. 

Thanks to a dedicated account manager the business was able to make changes to regular collections as needed, particularly at peak times. As a small business the personal approach was important to them and having a single point of contact made waste management and recycling much easier. 

In the Café, segregated bins were provided that made it easy for staff to see how and where to dispose of recyclable waste, including food and general waste, both in the kitchen and restaurant. 

Throughout the implementation of the new recycling scheme, Ward was on hand to offer help and advice to the garden centre team and troubleshoot any issues as they arose to maximise the scheme’s success. 

From grass-roots to green success 

Ward has helped to take the garden centre’s green credentials from zero to hero. The full waste segregation process that has been put in place makes it easier for the business to recycle various types of waste in a timely and efficient way.

Ward continues to support and advise the business on its waste and recycling solutions as it continues to expand.

Client quote/testimonial:

“As a family-run garden centre, working with another local independent family business has always worked well. Ward really understands our needs and we’ve always enjoyed great customer service and communication.” 

– Garden Centre Manager

WARD quote:

“It’s been really rewarding working with the team. We understand the unique needs of a family business and being able to plan and implement a recycling strategy that works for them has been great. We look forward to supporting them with all of their waste needs as the business continues to grow.”