Manchester school teams up with B&M waste services to smash carbon reduction targets

A leading Manchester school is 10 years ahead of national carbon reduction targets after teaming up with one of the region’s top waste management companies.

Parrs Wood High School brought in B&M Waste Services to assess how it could improve the school’s recycling and waste management programme with the goal of transforming energy efficiency and reducing costs.

The school’s CO2 Committee – comprising a group of eco-conscious sixth formers – played a key role in bringing about the change in order to make their school more environmentally friendly.

B&M Waste Services, which has a base at Trafford Park, carried out a full audit prior to introducing 25 internal bins for dry mixed recycling , internal food recycling bins, a collection service for waste electrical and electronic equipment, a skip for metals and proposals for secure shredding and recycling of office paper.

The school carbon reduction plan also includes working with B&M to plant a significant number of trees on-site, offsetting the school’s carbon emissions and creating a green area for students and staff to enjoy.

Thanks to the efforts of the school’s CO2 Committee, Parrs Wood is now saving over 400 tonnes of CO2 a year through its various energy reduction initiatives, putting it 10 years ahead of national carbon reduction targets. Recycling has gone from 0 per cent to more than 85 per cent.

“A Great Example of School Carbon Reduction”

The Carbon Trust is so impressed it is now using Parrs Wood as an example to other schools across the UK of what can be achieved.

Tony Way, Parrs Wood High School’s Facilities Manager, said: “Within the last year and a half, great strides have been made to educate our students and staff about recycling and waste management. The driver for this has been the partnership which has grown successfully between the school and B&M Waste Services.

“B&M’s ethos and innovative ideas have resulted in our CO2 Committee taking control and advertising different schemes across the school to get the message across that recycling is the way forward.”

Dave Curtis, a Director of B&M Waste Services, said: “It has been a pleasure to partner with the pupils and staff at Parrs Wood High School. The school has rightly been praised by the Carbon Trust for its outstanding work in putting in place a waste and recycling programme that is a shining example of what can be achieved by schools across the UK.”

Parrs Wood High School is the largest state school in Greater Manchester with almost 1,900 pupils, 300 staff and 300 visitors a day using its facilities. B&M Waste Services is one of the UK’s largest independent waste and recycling specialist employing more than 170 people across its sites in Trafford Park, Wirral and Norwich.

Earlier this year, B&M invested £1million in its Alternative Energy Facility at its site in Trafford Park, that ensures any non-recyclable wastes are processed for use as a fuel in combined heat and power schemes.