Why we love rubbish data! Our Estates Team is collecting data about rubbish to support our Charity’s mission to reduce the waste at Winchester Science Centre to 5% general waste and 95% recycling by 2027. We’re not waste experts. That’s why we asked Grundon, the UK’s largest family-owned supplier of waste management and environmental services, to help us understand how to measure the impact of our waste so we can make changes to become a more sustainable organisation. The data we’ve collected has revealed that since December 2024, we are recycling around 70 to 75% of our waste, so we know we still have a fair way to go. We spoke to Dan, our Estates Officer, to find out what we’ve learned so far.
We are committed to taking action for the children we work with. They’ve told us that they care about the planet and everything that inhabits it. We are reducing our waste as it’s the right thing to do for our planet, and sharing our journey to show children that we are an organisation that genuinely cares about creating a sustainable future for all.
The data supplied by Grundon shows that the amount of general waste we produce has dropped significantly over the last six months. This is reassuring and confirms that the changes we’re making are already having a positive impact. One of these improvements is an organisational-wide attitude shift to consider the impact of every element of the products we use. Each department is working with suppliers who use more sustainable materials. For example, our Marketing and Communications Team’s preferred print supplier is Greenhouse Graphics, a leading sustainable print centre in the UK. We also provide training for our staff to help them feel more empowered to make environmentally friendly decisions. We know our Café is one of the areas that produces large amounts of waste. Recently, our Experiences Team took part in training exploring how far our food travels and the ethical impact of the production process, including packaging. From this, the Café Team immediately looked into sourcing more environmentally friendly packaging alternatives.
As well as the improvements behind the scenes, we’ve made changes visible to visitors, including waste stations. As a Charity that promises to champion children’s thoughts and opinions, it’s important to us that we not only listen to children but act as positive role models. The waste stations encourage visitors to separate their waste into different bins. Sorting rubbish in the Science Centre helps Grundon process our waste more quickly, as materials like paper and cardboard go to directly to the recycling mills. This reduces the distance travelled and decreases the carbon footprint associated with processing our waste.
Separating waste is also a great way to involve children in small but important climate action and engage them in conversations about creating a more sustainable world. Check out BBC Bitesize for tips. Fellow businesses, we’ve made this commitment; what are you doing to reduce your waste?
