The work done behind the scenes to keep New Covent Garden Market running efficiently might not get as much notice as the bustle of wholesale activity happening on the floor in Nine Elms, London.
But it is nonetheless astonishing to see how significant the efforts are by Market stakeholders to be environmental stewards. None of its waste materials ever end up in a landfill, a testimony to so many of the colleagues who pore their time into ensuring sustainability is a strategic priority.
Though it may seem a thankless job, there are groups that find merit in and reward that work. New Covent Garden Market, in fact, has been lauded by the annual Green Apple Environment Awards, which recoqnises best practices around the world.
“As the landlord and management company of the Market, we have an excellent working relationship with Bio collectors,” says Colin Corderoy, Senior Operations Manager for the Market. “Bio collectors are local, their HGVs run on biogas generated from waste from the Market and they are also able to use our waste to pump gas back into the network.”
In fact, New Covent Garden Market recycles all of its organic waste and filters it through an anaerobic digestion facility. Most of the excess (95%) – from wood to plastic to metal – go through recycling, while the last portion gets converted from waste to energy.
Imagine, the largest wholesaler in the UK sprawled across 35 acres in the city centre and with more than 150 wholesale businesses has zero waste. Then consider how far the Market has come, not only since is inception in 1670, but through the past century where waste was just an afterthought.
The Green Apple be given in November to Market leaders in a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament.It highlights the market’s relationship with waste management partner Bio collectors for ‘Cultivating a Circular Economy: Bio collectors and New Covent Garden Market powering towards a greener future together.’
