A leading York environmental charity has just enjoyed two major recognitions for its efforts.

St Nicks (Friends of St Nicholas Field) has been awarded Collection Crew of the Year for excellence in recycling and waste management.

It’s waste and recycling manager, Sam Taylor, has also been placed 21st in Resource Magazine’s Hot 100 ‘Architects for Change.’

St Nicks began in 1998 and over the past 25 years has worked collaboratively with the community and in partnerships to create and realise a shared vision for a thriving, connected and biodiverse world where people and nature can flourish.

The charity says it has achieved this by developing projects and services designed to inform, advise and inspire.

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The St Nicks recycling team collects residential recycling under contract with City of York Council and services the hard-to-reach areas of the city.

They do this on load bearing tricycles and fully electric vans. All materials are hand sorted at the kerbside guaranteeing that the materials can be recycled as there is no contamination in the loads. The team also offer a commercial recycling service to businesses and events of all sizes.

The team can be seen in action at York Pride on Saturday 3rd June where they will be diverting recycling from general waste and running a stall.

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The recycling team also runs education programmes and provides resources for businesses and residents looking to reduce the volumes of waste they generate.

Sam said of the award: “My team work so hard to deliver the best possible service to residents and businesses across York. I’m incredibly proud to see them getting recognition from such renowned publications within the waste sector. We are grateful to our residents, business customers and City of York Council for supporting the service.”

One of the quotes to nominate her in the Hot 100 said: “Her tireless efforts in waste education truly inspire change."

In addition to being a charity, St Nicks is the “Green Heart of York”, a 24 acre urban nature reserve built on a previous landfill site.

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The Environment Centre and its wider activities promote all aspects of sustainable living.

As well as managing the natural habitats for over 2,000 species, St Nick’s educate the public, volunteers and young people on the practicalities of environmental, conservation issues and sustainability including recycling and waste reduction.

St Nicks also provides nature-connectedness programmes to improve mental health and wellbeing as well as energy advice.

For details of its activities, go to: St Nicks - Home