Tesco has renewed its contract with Norbert Dentressangle for the management of 12 Recycling Service Units (RSUs) throughout the UK and Ireland.
Established by Tesco in 1995, the RSU network handles all loose equipment and packaging waste from more than 2,000 stores. Items including trays, flower buckets, roll cages and dollies are collected by Tesco’s store delivery vehicles and delivered to the RSUs on the return leg. Returnable items are then processed for collection and re-used by Tesco and its suppliers.
The operation plays an important role in Tesco’s commitment to minimising the waste it produces. In 2008, the RSUs contributed almost 80% of the 400,000 tonnes of material recycled by Tesco in the UK, equivalent to 85% of the total packaging that Tesco produced. This exceeded Tesco’s target of 80%, helping towards its target to divert 95% of store waste from landfill.
Employing around 800 people, the operation currently handles in excess of 225 million trays and flower buckets and recycles more than 300,000 tonnes of card and plastic each year.
Source: Tesco
