A SOCIALLY responsible York business has achieved zero to landfill status only two months after opening.

None of the waste produced at Spark:York is sent to landfill, thanks to a partnership between the community interest company and Yorwaste.

Spark:York is a community of small independent businesses operating out of old shipping containers.

Tenants include a mix of bars, restaurants and shops, meaning a wide range of waste is generated at the Piccadilly complex, including food waste, glass, plastic and cardboard.

Spark:York engaged Northallerton-headquartered Yorwaste to provide the waste services for the site and this includes dedicated bins for different types of waste.

The waste is collected several times a week and taken to Yorwaste’s nearby Harewood Whin processing facility on the outskirts of York.

Glass is sent to be recycled back into glass or used as an aggregate in road building, steel and aluminium cans are recycled back into new cans, food waste is sent to a biomass facility where it is turned into renewable energy, plastic is sent for reprocessing into a variety of new plastic products, and any residual waste is taken to the new Allerton Waste Recovery Park where it is transformed into green electricity.

This means that Yorwaste was recently able to present Spark:York with a certificate which confirms it has achieved zero waste to landfill.

Yorwaste account manager Kate Anderson said: “We are delighted to have been able to help Spark:York achieve zero waste to landfill.

“It is particularly impressive given they only opened in May this year.

“It demonstrates the commitment of the businesses to protecting the environment, and that is to be applauded.”

Jo Little, head of Marketing at Spark:York, said: “Our whole ethos is around sustainability, whether that’s by reusing old shipping containers, ensuring the food is served in biodegradable packaging or not using plastic straws or cups.

“We would like to thank Yorwaste for their support in helping us achieve zero to landfill status; it means a great deal to us.”

Spark: York was first given planning permission for the former Reynards site on Piccadilly in early 2017.

It opened in May this year, and in its first four days 10,000 visitors in the first four days, the 23 small businesses involved in the project had so far turned over in excess of £200,000 and there had been visitors from across the globe.

Eighty hours of free community workshops and events had also taken place.