West Suffolk celebrates one year of reverse vending machines with plans for expansion

12 Feb 2025

Celebrations are in order after a successful first year since the launch of reverse vending machines in West Suffolk.

This pioneering initiative, which has helped boost recycling rates while supporting local businesses, was spearheaded by West Suffolk Council and Trovr, along with partners Love Newmarket, The Guineas Shopping Centre, Abbeycroft, Eastern Education Group, and Our Bury St Edmunds. 

The project initially started as a six-month trial, however, thanks to overwhelming public support, it has continued to grow and is now marking its first anniversary with no plans of slowing down.

As the first council in the country to embrace this initiative with publicly accessible machines, West Suffolk has set a benchmark for sustainable waste management and community awareness.

Cllr Gerald Kelly, Cabinet Member for Governance, Regulatory and Environment at West Suffolk Council said, “This pioneering approach serves as a model for other councils looking to implement similar programmes. By working with partners to combine innovation and environmental responsibility, the initiative has proven that communities are enthusiastic about recycling. The support received is a promising sign as we look toward the national rollout of the Deposit Return Scheme and other recycling initiatives to bolster our environmental resilience.” 

Trovr’s innovative smartphone app has been key to the initiative’s success, providing users with a points-based rewards system that incentivises recycling. These points can be redeemed in local and national businesses, creating a win-win scenario for both sustainability and the local economy.

Nick Yeatman, Chief Executive Officer of Trovr said, “As we celebrate this milestone, it’s clear that innovating and modernising current recycling solutions have a critical role to play in driving new recycling behaviour. This success shows what’s possible when technology, community, and local government work together. We’re grateful for the continued support of West Suffolk Council and our partners, whose collaboration has been essential to this achievement. We look forward to scaling this initiative and supporting more councils as the national Deposit Return Scheme approaches.”

Over the past year, the community’s commitment to sustainability has yielded impressive results with a total of 15,943 units being recycled. 13,407 plastic bottles have been recycled, saving 201 kg of CO₂ compared to making new bottles from virgin plastic. That is equivalent to driving 1,036 miles in an average petrol car.

The recycling of the 2,575 aluminium cans has saved 301 kg of CO₂ compared to making new cans from virgin aluminium. This is equivalent to the carbon absorption of an estimated 14 trees per year.

Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket were the first towns involved, with the BIDs in each town contributing additional funding to the pilot scheme. One of the biggest takeaways from this initiative has been the importance of strong infrastructure and partnerships. The support from partners in waste management, technology, and customer engagement has been critical in maintaining high participation rates and maximising environmental impact.

Mark Cordell, Chief Executive Officer of Our Bury St Edmunds said, “We were happy to get involved in this project and bring the ability for people to recycle cans and plastic bottles to our town centre, initially in the multistorey car park but more recently into the offices of Howden, a BID member. I am hopeful that over the coming year the number of items recycled in our machine will continue to grow.”

Natalie Robinson, Manager of Love Newmarket said, “We are delighted with the success of the Trovr scheme in Newmarket over the past 12 months which has raised awareness of sustainability in our town. We will continue to engage our businesses with the scheme to ensure users can redeem their points locally.”

Ross Mckittrick Dip SCM, Guineas Shopping Centre Manager said, “Our commitment to sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. The TROVR reverse vending machine has, since its introduction in February 2024, proved to be successful in encouraging patrons of the shopping centre to recycle their cans and bottles. As a result of the machine being installed and its success the shopping centre management have gained two International Gold 2024 Green Apple Environmental Awards for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction. These awards validate our efforts and inspire us to continue implementing innovative initiatives that benefit both our community and the environment.”

Installing a machine at West Suffolk College, has encouraged students to think about their environmental impact and instil the habit of recycling across their day to day lives. Empowering young minds with information and incentives to recycle not only fosters individual responsibility but also serves as a catalyst for broader societal change.

A spokesperson from Eastern Education Group said, “The success of the reverse recycling scheme at our West Suffolk College campus has led to the introduction of a machine at our Suffolk ONE campus in Ipswich, giving even more students the chance to take part in incentivised recycling and encourage responsible habits.”

Thanks to enthusiastic public participation, two additional machines have been installed in West Suffolk at Haverhill Leisure Centre and local insurance broker Howden at its Brentgovel Street offices in Bury St Edmunds.

Warren Smyth, Chief Executive Officer of Abbeycroft said, “We are pleased to be involved in this project supporting recycling in such an innovative way.  As a not-for-profit Social Enterprise, we play an important role in contributing to local climate change targets because they are driven by social justice with the public as their stakeholder.”

The upcoming implementation of the UK government’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in 2027 is expected to further streamline the recycling process and maintain these initiatives for the long-term. 
 

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