We caught up with Adam Page from Recorra, a waste management company specialising in innovative solutions for the hospitality industry. Representing New Business, Adam is dedicated to helping restaurants improve their sustainability practices. Adam and his team are proud to support the recently launched Sustainability Checklist, bringing their expertise to this important initiative.
Adam, what is your role at Recorra?
Day to day my role is to welcome new customers to Recorra across the south coast, mainly in Brighton and its surrounding areas.
I also manage the relationships during the infancy stage of customers joining us before handing them over to our great account managers and our help desk team.
How would you describe Recorra to hospitality businesses unfamiliar with your services?
We’re more than just a commercial waste company, we’re disruptors in our field.
Beyond collecting bins, we’re helping businesses become blueprints for sustainability.
With a 99% collection success rate combined with winning over 20 industry awards over the last 2 years, there’s no one quite like Recorra.
We deliver real recycling to organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint and promote a circular economy.
What services do Recorra offer the hospitality industry?
We offer a range of different services and currently recycle 38 different waste streams.
Some specific streams to the hospitality industry are food waste, glass, cardboard, mixed recycling and waste. We also offer more niche streams such as coffee cup recycling and vegware recycling.
Which awards have Recorra won?
This Autumn we’re thrilled to have won 3 incredible awards:
- The Circular and Recycling Award for Product Recycling (in partnership with Tork/Essity) at the National Sustainability Awards for our industry first paper towel recycling.
- The Social Sustainability Award at the Office Friendly 30th Conference.
- The Bronze Award for Waste Reduction & Minimisation (in partnership with the National Theatre) at the Global Good Awards.
Is there any new legislation that Recorra is working towards for the hospitality industry?
There is new legislation coming into effect before 31st March 2025.
This will require all business with more than 10 employees to start to have a separate food waste collection, alongside segregating out glass and dry mixed recycling (cardboard, paper, plastics and can)
What are the key challenges that Recorra encounters on a local level, or on a much larger scale?
Spending most of my working time in Brighton it is definitely the restrictions set by the T zones.
These restrictions mean that all businesses that are in these areas are unable to leave bins or sacks out between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
When this came into force it was a huge hit for businesses in Brighton, which many of these businesses were in the hospitality industry.
With the new legislation coming in next year, this will be even more difficult, as many businesses will be required to recycle more waste streams, when currently all they do is general waste.
When dining out in Brighton or Sussex, where would you visit for brunch and dinner and why?
The new Coal Shed on North street is really worth a visit. I have been a few times since they have moved and they are also recycling multiple waste streams with us.
Food For Friends is also great for any occasion. I am also a huge coffee fan and can’t recommend FIKA Hove or BRODWOLF in Hove highly enough for anyone searching for a coffee hit.
What do you like most about the hospitality industry in Sussex?
The huge variety across the city.
You can be walking down any road in Brighton and have a wave of different breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
You can walk down a street and be faced with restaurants from all over the globe, alongside, quaint independents, large national chains and some great retail shops.
If a business in Sussex wanted to find out more about what you do, what would be the process?
Get in touch directly with me.
I would love to help get your business recycling more and make the introduction of the new legislation as smooth as possible.
If you need a site visit to discuss the intricacies of servicing the site, I would also be more than happy to drop in.
