Edgbaston Cricket Stadium scores a clean sweep in recycling

Edgbaston Cricket Ground, home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 1885, is one of the leading venues for world cricket and has hosted first-class and international cricket games. On the waste management front, the Stadium produces a variety of streams – dry mixed recycling (DMR), food, glass, wood, metal, green and general waste.

The site previously used an outdated, inefficient waste compactor and 1,100-litre bins, frequently contaminated by the public. With a recycling rate of just 9.7%, there was no internal segregation, and most waste in public areas was general waste. In line with Compass targets, SUEZ helped the site get closer to its 65% recycling goal with clear plans to improve waste segregation and recycling on site.

Following an initial site visit, we set up a new dedicated waste area and installed two new portable compactors, one for general waste and one for DMR. We trained the staff on correct internal segregation methods and taught them which waste should be tipped into which compactors.

We also rolled out a food waste collection service in January 2023. We also looked at public behaviour during two matches to observe how they are using the bins. Following this, we created bespoke bin labels and changed the bins’ locations with a goal to increase recycling rates. All internal bins were placed strategically along public corridors, with glass and DMR bins put behind bars and hospitality areas. Food bins were placed in kitchens and catering facilities around the stadium. We also created a presentation on correct waste segregation delivered to all staff members.

SUEZ also supplied a bespoke collection service for test matches, sending a dedicated truck and driver, ensuring that all waste is cleared each day because the waste depot is in a public access area.

We are currently looking at ways to link the bins at Edgbaston Stadium to the site’s own sustainability guidance, supporting proper waste sorting.

Onsite staff can now easily identify which waste goes into each bin or compactor, greatly improving segregation at the source. This has led to a major reduction in contamination of the DMR compactor.

Clearer signage and labels have also supported this improvement, resulting in increased recycling from 9% to 43.76%.

These solutions have increased employee engagement through training that enabled them to understand the impact of how their waste is handled. Segregation of waste streams not only had a cost-saving benefit for the site but also helped increase work efficiency as waste is now split between two compactors rather than just one.

Moving forward, we plan to segregate dry mixed recycling in the stadium’s main arena area and, in compliance with Simpler Recycling reforms, also implement food waste segregation in the site’s public areas.