DPD’s partnership with Lyreco and RCP creates ‘recycling heroes’

Within the first 12 months of a partnership between Lyreco, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP), and DPD, the logistics business had already boosted its recycling rate by 48% at six key sites. This significant milestone in DPD’s vision of becoming the ‘the greenest delivery service on the planet’ comes as the business analyses environmental gains against a roll-out of RCP’s Slim Jim recycling stations across its 84 depot locations.

To date, 20 facilities have benefitted from the introduction of RCP’s effective and space-efficient recycling system, as part of a staged installation process, which will continue through 2022. Every month, at each site it’s installed, the recycling system diverts 0.5 tonnes away from general waste disposal. On completion of the roll-out across all DPD sites, over 500 tonnes of waste every year will be diverted to the circular economy rather than going to general waste disposal.

The path to these significant improvements in recycling efficiency is thanks to a true recycling hero, Elissa Underhill, national account manager at international distributor Lyreco. Understanding DPD’s fierce commitment to the issue, Underhill was on the lookout for opportunities to support and partner with her client on its recycling efficiency goals. Identifying where the logistics business may not yet have been reaching its full potential, she worked closely with the experts at RCP to uncover impactful changes for DPD.

Olly Craughan, head of sustainability for DPD, said: ‘’Taking a fresh look at our recycling systems with Lyreco and RCP’s support is just one example of our commitment to reducing DPD’s impact on the environment by continually reviewing our processes. Introducing Slim Jim recycling stations has made a tangible difference with residual waste reduced by a third on the sites where the bins have been installed and individual sites achieving recycling rates over 90% against our achieved business target of 70%. What’s more, it’s a move that makes clear financial sense. In addition to environmental savings, we’re seeing 27% cost savings of not sending waste to general waste disposal, which means we will recoup our investment within a year.’’

www.dpd.co.uk