Waste King, the specialist collections, clearance and recycling company, was twice named as a runner-up in the Hertfordshire Green Awards, at a ceremony held at Knebworth Barns, in Knebworth Park near Stevenage. The awards, currently in their second year, are open to any business wanting to showcase its ‘green’ credentials.

Waste King’s award entries focused on the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities including:

• Rescuing `Colin’, a Giant African Land Snail (the snail was being thrown away – in a green `wheelie bin’ – by one of Waste King’s customers). It’s now loaned the snail to a local junior school so that the pupils can look after and study `him’, as well as learn more, via Colin, about looking after the environment.
• Donating, over two months in the spring of 2012 – as part of an on-going policy – over five tons of recycled books, DVDs and music CDs to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). In addition, Waste King donated and recycled over a ton of clothes in aid of the Salvation Army. In the previous year, Waste King installed recycling points – for public use – at its premises.
• Giving a number of old computers – discarded by its customers – to Matthew, a young man who has severe autism and a fascination with computers. Matthew takes these computers apart and re-builds them – purely for therapeutic purposes – because doing this helps him to cope with his condition.
• Building a special `waste cage’ for a customer whose staff put any waste products – from plasterboard and electrical goods to `mixed waste’ – into the cage. In the cage, these waste products are segregated so that they can be more easily recycled – leaving only a small percentage of the waste to go to landfill. When the cage is full, Waste King’s operatives remove the waste which, since it’s segregated, is easily and speedily removed. This not only helps boost the customer’s `green’ credentials but also helps to prevent unnecessary damage to the environment.

Waste King promotes the benefits of recycling not just in environmental terms – helpful though that is – but also in terms of directly benefiting people, through the work of the BHF and the Salvation Army. The collection points at its premises enable other people’s waste materials to benefit those in need.

According to Waste King’s Andy Cattigan, it’s important to get to know the environment-related issues in your area – and that comes by interacting with people. They could be customers, members of local clubs, societies, faith groups and so on. The more local people and groups you make contact with, the more environment-related issues you come across – and the more you can help. Once you know the issues, you become aware of the needs – first of people and then of the environment in which they live. Then you can do something about it.

“It’s a question of taking responsibility for looking after our environment – not just for ourselves but also for all the wildlife that deserves a decent environment in which to live,” he said.

Comment: That seems to be a very sensible and commendable – not to mention award-winning – sentiment.

Waste King’s Glenn Currie (third from left in a group of seven people) and his fellow Waste King director, Andy Cattigan (extreme left in a group of five people) with their Hertfordshire Green Awards finalist’s certificate.