Green 100: How a Norwich shopping mall reached its zero landfill target 16 months ahead of schedule

Ryan Marshall, from the environmental management team at intu Chapelfield in Norwich (Image: Archant)

Norwich-based intu Chapelfield has more reasons than most to keep a close eye on sustainability and the use of resources.

With 530,000sq ft square feet of retail space and more than 90 shops, cafes and restaurants, it has helped cement Norwich's position as a top-ten shopping destination.

But the business has also looked carefully at its waste management policies, too, and that is helping to cut both carbon emissions and costs, helping it to become an even greener business.

And it is this dedication which has seen intu Chapelfield being put forward for consideration for our Green 100.

In 2012 intu Chapelfield was recycling 65pc of all waste on site, with 35pc being sent to landfill: no mean feat when the majority of shopping centres sub-contract all of their waste management.

But the environmental management team at intu Chapelfield, led by Ryan Marshall, believed they could do better; setting a target of zero waste to landfill by December of 2014. And thanks to a detailed an innovative approach, it was a target achieved in August 2013 - 16 months ahead of schedule. So how did they do it? Every member of the intu Chapelfield team receives comprehensive training in recycling and sorting waste. New retail tenants also receive this training when they move in to the shopping centre and are required to educate their own staff.

Every bag of waste is opened by the recycling team before it is opened and sorted into one of 19 waste streams

Intu Chapelfield also provides food retailers with compostable/biodegradable corn-starch sacks for food waste. All other retailers are provided with 20 litre food caddies, and smaller sacks, for staff food waste to reduce contamination of recyclable materials.

Emma Gooch, area manager at wagamama, said she had been impressed by the dedication of the waste recycling team, despite her initial scepticism about the targets.

'Through hard work, lots of retailer meetings and countless store visits by the 'bin police' they got (almost) everyone on board and really showed others what was possible,' she said.