Super Gardener: Recycling and Sustainability

Super Gardener is committed to creating an eco-friendly waste disposal area that supports neighbourhoods, boroughs and homeowners. Our approach blends practical on-site recycling with community-scale solutions to make sustainable gardening easy and visible. We build sustainable rubbish gardening area systems that reduce landfill, promote composting and keep usable materials circulating back into the local economy. Every garden waste collection is an opportunity to turn trimmings into nutrient-rich soil and to sort items for recycling rather than disposal.

Our work in recycling and sustainability is measured by a clear recycling percentage target: we aim to reach a 70% combined recycling and composting rate by 2030 across our managed contracts and partner boroughs. To do this we coordinate with local transfer stations, invest in on-site segregation and run public information campaigns that align with borough waste separation schemes — for example, separate food and garden waste collections, glass and mixed recycling divisions, and clear guidelines for plastics and small metal items.

We run designated eco-friendly disposal zones at sites where gardeners and residents can deposit: clean green waste, woody prunings for chipping, plastic pots rinsed for recycling, and metal tools for reuse. Our sustainable rubbish gardening area programs emphasise reuse and preparation for rehoming: intact pots are cleaned and resold, soil is screened and rejuvenated, and larger items are routed to local transfer stations for proper processing. Services are designed to complement borough-level waste separation policies and reduce cross-contamination.

Partnership is core to our model. We collaborate with local transfer stations and community reuse centres to ensure materials are processed correctly. Our partnerships with charities and social enterprises channel good-quality plants, working tools and compostable materials to community gardens and households in need. By linking horticultural reuse with charitable partners we cut waste, support local projects and keep useful items in circulation instead of sending them to landfill.

Low-carbon fleet and route efficiency

Our fleet includes low-emission vehicles and a growing number of low-carbon vans, including electric vans and plug-in hybrids. Combined with route optimisation software and consolidated pick-ups at local transfer stations, we shrink transport emissions while maintaining reliable service. For short urban journeys we deploy cargo bikes and trailers to avoid unnecessary van miles. These measures help us meet our emissions targets and reduce the carbon footprint of garden waste collection and sustainable rubbish gardening area logistics.

Sustainable treatment and processing

Garden waste is primarily diverted to composting facilities or mulching operations that return nutrients to soils. We support community-scale composting as well as large municipal facilities and, where appropriate, thermal processes that recover energy from non-compostables. Through careful sorting — following boroughs' approaches to waste separation such as separate food waste, paper and card collection — we improve output quality so that compost and recycled materials meet local reuse standards.

To meet our 70% recycling and composting goal we track progress with clear metrics: monthly diversion rates, volume of green waste turned into compost, number of items reused via charity partnerships, and transport emissions per tonne of waste collected. We work closely with local transfer stations that accept segregated loads, ensuring material streams stay pure: clean wood to chipping, green waste to compost, and plastics to designated recycling facilities. This data-driven process helps us refine the eco-friendly waste disposal area model across boroughs.

Our community initiatives focus on giving back. We partner with charities and social projects to redistribute viable plants, tools, pots and bulk mulch to community gardens and householders on low incomes. Items unsuitable for reuse are sent to transfer stations that work with accredited recyclers or to specialist reprocessing schemes. We also host seasonal collection events that mirror borough collection calendars to make it simple for residents to participate.

In summary, Super Gardener's approach to recycling and sustainability blends best-practice on-site segregation, collaboration with local transfer stations, and strong partnerships with charities to create a genuinely sustainable rubbish gardening area model. With a clear recycling percentage target, a low-carbon van fleet, cargo-bike support and borough-aligned waste separation practices, we transform garden waste into value while lowering emissions and supporting vibrant, green communities. Our pledge: to keep improving diversion rates, expand charity partnerships and make eco-friendly garden waste disposal the norm.