The winners of the 2026 Awards for Excellence were announced on Wednesday 13 May during a ceremony held in the Great Room at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House on Park Lane in London.

Following an opening address from letsrecycle.com editor Savannah Coombe, head judge Esther Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at PackUK, spoke to attendees about current developments within the sector before comedian Jimmy Carr hosted the presentation of awards across 21 categories.

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'Packaging Innovation of the Year' Award

Wastepack sponsored the Packaging Innovation of the Year category, a key award celebrating organisations that are redefining sustainable packaging.

This category recognises game-changing solutions that reduce waste, improve recyclability and embed circular economy principles into packaging design and delivery.

You can find out more about our awards sponsorship here: "Awards for Excellence 2026 – Wastepack Sponsors Packaging Innovation"

The results were:

WINNER: HeTa Innovation

Highly Commended: Liverpool Football Club

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Winners of the 2026 Awards are:

 

The Awards for Excellence 2026 are set to once again shine a spotlight on the organisations and individuals driving progress across the UK’s waste and resources sector.

Recognising outstanding achievements from local authorities, private operators, community organisations, technology providers and innovators, the awards continue to highlight the breadth and depth of talent shaping a more sustainable future.

This year’s submissions demonstrate strong momentum across key industry priorities, including improvements in recycling performance, measurable environmental impact, circular economy development, community engagement and operational excellence.

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Packaging Innovation of the Year

Wastepack is sponsoring the Packaging Innovation of the Year category, a key award celebrating organisations that are redefining sustainable packaging.

This category recognises game-changing solutions that reduce waste, improve recyclability and embed circular economy principles into packaging design and delivery.

Companies shortlisted for the Packaging Innovation of the Year category are:

Carl ZEISS Vision, Futamura UK, HeTa Innovation, Liverpool Football Club (LFC), and Ocado Retail.

A special shoutout to one of Wastepack's long-standing members, Futamura UK, for being shortlisted! Your groundbreaking compostable liquid sachets tackle a long‑standing industry challenge head‑on. Their innovation has attracted global attention, with their press release being picked up by 49 publications across 17 countries.

A representative from Futamura UK said, "We are thankful for the recognition of our dedication and innovation in the biobased arena".

Judges will be looking for bold, forward-thinking approaches that demonstrate measurable environmental impact, smarter material use and tangible progress towards sustainability goals.

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Shortlist Announced

The 2026 ceremony will take place on 13 May at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, bringing together finalists and industry leaders for what promises to be a standout event in the sector calendar.

Hosted by acclaimed comedian Jimmy Carr, the evening will celebrate excellence while providing a valuable opportunity for networking among senior decision-makers from across the UK’s recycling and resources landscape.

Building on the success of 2025 – where more than 750 attendees gathered in central London – the upcoming ceremony is expected to be even larger.

The shortlist for the 2026 Awards has now been confirmed, with organisers reporting another record year for entries across all categories.

The finalists represent some of the most innovative and impactful work currently taking place in the UK, setting the stage for a highly competitive and inspiring awards ceremony.

You can view the full list of shortlisted companies here.

Letsrecycle.com hosted its 21st Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management on 16 May which recognised the achievements of the recycling and waste sector. This year, The Wastepack Group was pleased to sponsor the drinks reception and the recycling business of the year!

The Awards took place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London and were hosted by returning television presenter Mark Durden-Smith.

As part of the awards programme, Clare Delaney, deputy director for resources and waste for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) , delivered a speech on updates to Defra’s priorities surrounding the recycling and waste sector.

The company recognised in the award we sponsored, Recycling Business of the Year Award, was Re-Gen Waste. A huge congratulations.

A full list of winners can be found below.

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WINNERS OF THE 2024 AWARDS:

 

REUSE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY SMART ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT SERVICES

Pioneers of Community Reuse, Community Wood Recycling

Working with the local community to develop a UK accredited reuse qualification, Cory, London Borough of Bexley, CIWM

Community Calling: tackling e-waste and digital exclusion nationwide, Hubbub and Genuine Solutions

WINNER: School Uniform Swap Shop, North West Leicestershire District Council

Fixy: a mobile reuse initiative tackling a national e-waste problem at a regional level, Resource Futures, Somerset Council and DONATE IT

Highly Commended: Game changing SUEZ reuse initiative puts thousands of discarded mobility equipment back into circulation, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK

Furniture4Reuse, University of Manchester

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY IPL

Cash for Trash, Currys

Highly Commended: Greene King: Tub2Pub 2023, Greene King

Eat like a Londoner, ReLondon

The Baa-ttery Campaign, Renewi and Valpak

WINNER: Celebrating 15 Years of Responsible Recycling of WEEE in the UK, REPIC LTD

Serco Sandwell Food is for Bellies Not Bins Campaign, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Serco

Shake it Out, The Suffolk Waste Partnership and Barley Communications

 

RECYCLED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY RECONOMY

Highly Commended: Natural Coloured Washroom Products – Tork, Essity UK LTD

WINNER: Suscons Emergency Relief Shelter, Suscons UK Ltd

From Bags to Benches, Veolia

 

SERVICE CHANGE AT A LOCAL AUTHORITY LEVEL

SPONSORED BY CROMWELL POLYTHENE

WINNER: Amazing sharps service at half the cost – transforming clinical collections, Liverpool StreetScene Services

Service Change At A Local Authority Level: The London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Havering

Highly Commended: Lewisham Recycling for Biofuels, London Borough of Lewisham – Public Realm

 

CONTRIBUTION TO ACHIEVING NET ZERO

SPONSORED BY CORY GROUP

Bio Collectors and Bywaters: A Powerful Partnership For Sustainable Food Waste Management At Wimbledon Champion , Bio Collectors

Flying towards Net Zero and Zero Waste, Heathrow Airport Ltd

WINNER: Radical Waste Group – Contribution to achieving net zero entry 2024, Radical Waste Group

Highly Commended: Recofloor, the vinyl take-back scheme, founded by Altro and Polyflor, Recofloor

World’s first trial of algae-based carbon recycling to decarbonise energy recovery facilities, Veolia

Veolia starts UK’s first safe treatment for nitrous oxide canisters, Veolia UK

Westminster City Council and Veolia Deliver a Circular Waste and Energy Economy, Westminster City Council in partnership with Veolia

 

LOCAL AUTHORITY INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY BIFFA

Highly Commended: Cherwell’s recycling trio, Cherwell District council

Green Spaces for Wellbeing, connecting people to nature improving health and wellbeing, Cheshire East Council/Ansa Environmental Services

Local Authority Team of the Year: Havering Council’s Waste and Recycling Team, London Borough of Havering

WINNER: Merseyside and Halton Education Team: Promoting inclusivity in recycling education, Veolia (Merseyside and Halton)

Veolia Watford’s Environmental Education Program to Empower the Future Generation, Veolia in partnership with Watford Borough Council

 

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION

Highly Commended: Bisviridi and Alfa Laval Oil Separation Technology, Bisviridi and Alfa Laval

PFAS ‘Forever’ Chemicals – Search, Capture & Destroy, CPL/Puragen Activated Carbons

An effective solution for fighting “rogue” batteries and the fires they cause in waste & recycling, Fire Shield Systems Ltd

WINNER: Washbox Global, Geosentinel (UK) Ltd

Batteray – Small Cell Battery Sorting Solution, LINEV Systems UK

World’s first trial of algae-based carbon recycling to decarbonise energy recovery facilities, Veolia

Veolia starts UK’s first safe treatment for nitrous oxide canisters, Veolia UK

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE IN THE RETAIL, COMMERCIAL & PUBLIC SECTOR

SPONSORED BY BEAUPARC

The Berkeley Hotel for Waste Management Initiative In The Retail, Commercial And Public Sector, The Berkeley Hotel

WINNER: Driving waste recycling and sustainability: Brown Recycling and Geocycle’s Joint Initiative for Staffordshire’s ceramic industry, Brown Recycling Ltd

Long Live Your Tech, Currys

Greenzone’s Strategic Waste Management Excellence: Fuelling cardfactory’s Growth with Sustainability and Savings, Greenzone Facilities Management Limited

Highly Commended: Grundon launches UK’s first proven nationwide inhaler return and recycling scheme, Grundon Waste Management

Transforming Waste, Preserving Earth, Knotweed Services (UK) Ltd

Recofloor, the vinyl take-back scheme, Recofloor

 

CIRCULAR ECONOMY SUCCESS

SPONSORED BY EUROPEAN RECYCLING PLATFORM

CleanStream Circular Polypropylene, Berry Circular Polymers

St. Botolph Building “Use-Think-Recycle” project, CBRE

Mattress Recycling & Rejuvenation: Turning Waste into Resources, The Furniture Recycling Group

Highly Commended: Lush Green Hub, Lush Limited

WINNER: PropUp Project – a social and sustainable solution to waste in the television and film industry, PropUp Project CIC

Nappy Recycling, Pura NappiCycle

WasteTrade Circular Economy Success, WasteTrade

 

METALS RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY LIEBHERR

Preserving our natural resources, Fortis IBA

WINNER: Driving down the carbon footprint of scrap metal recycling, John Lawrie Metals Limited

Highly Commended: Ward

 

ORGANICS & FOOD WASTE RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY CRJ SERVICES LTD

WINNER: Keenan Recycling

Severn Trent Green Power

Highly Commended: Vegware and Binn Group hit composting landmark, Vegware and Binn Group

 

WOOD RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY HOVERDALE UK LTD

A&A Recycling Services Ltd

WINNER: Pioneers of Community Reuse, Community Wood Recycling

Highly Commended: EGGER Timberpak Ltd

 

PLASTICS RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY RECYCLEYE

Highly Commended: Quality & Consistency – Recycling Plastics the AO Way, AO

WINNER: CleanStream Circular Polypropylene, Berry Circular Polymers

Toner Cartridge Recycling, Moock Environmental Solutions Ltd

 

PAPER RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY WINFIBRE

WINNER: Re-Gen Waste

Customer-Centric, Eco-Conscious: Restore Datashred – A Leader in Paper Recycling, Restore Datashred

Highly Commended: Zero to Landfill Paper Recycling, Shred Station

 

THE RECYCLING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY WASTEPACK

WINNER: Re-Gen Waste

 

WASTE TRANSFER AND SKIP HIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY BREAD4SCRAP

Brown Recycling Ltd

WINNER: Westminster Waste Limited

Highly Commended: Windsor Waste Management

 

COLLECTION CREW OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY FAUN ZOELLER

Highly Commended: Meet the Cornwall collection crew who “just want to make the world a better place”, Biffa

Crew save a life, Biffa / City of Lincoln Council

WINNER: Serco Sandwell Bin Crew Save Couple & Dog from Burning Building, Serco

 

CIVIC AMENITY SITE OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY REPIC

FCC Environment, Wigan Council and the Second Chance Saloon, FCC Environment

WINNER: Hero’s in HiViz, Derbyshire HWRC Goes Above and Beyond, HW Martin Waste Ltd

Highly Commended: Refurbished Veolia Bromley Reuse and Recycling Centre Enhances Sustainability, Safety and Visitor Experience, Veolia, and Bromley Council

 

HEALTH & SAFETY INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY BARTEC

Highly Commended: FCC Environment and Site Zone are changing behaviours to reduce risk – loading RCVs smarter, FCC Environment in partnership with SiteZone

FCC Environment in a Virtual World, FCC Environment

WINNER: Promoting a mentally healthy workplace for frontline operatives, Fife Council

An effective solution for fighting “rogue” batteries and the fires they cause in waste & recycling, Fire Shield Systems Ltd

HSEQ Culture Change Programme, Shred Station

 

BEST LOCAL AUTHORITY RECYCLING INITIATIVE

SPONSORED BY PERMISERV

Hello Data – An Innovative Approach to Service Optimisation, Cheshire West Recycling

Delivering a food waste service for High Rise Flats in Fife, Fife Council

Sherbourne Resource Park, Sherbourne RecyclingShake it Out, The Suffolk Waste Partnership and Barley Communications

WINNER: Veolia Westminster Community Mobile Recycling Centres: Increasing Access to Services, Veolia, and Westminster City Council

Highly Commended: Herts Sustainable Familes, WasteAware – The Hertfordshire Waste Partnership

Food Waste Minimisation and Redistribution Programme, West Sussex County Council, UKHarvest and Biffa