DS Smith extends recycling partnership with local council

DS Smith and RBBC have been partnering since 2001, during which time the council has more than doubled its recycling rates from 21 to 54.3 percent, moving it into the top 15 percent of England’s best performing local authorities. Material collected from the borough is recycled at DS Smith paper mill in Kemsley, Kent, the largest of its kind in the UK.

‘We’re delighted to continue our long and successful partnership with DS Smith,’ commented Ian Muir, recycling officer at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council. ‘Paper and cardboard recycling is the cornerstone of our ambitious recycling target, and reprocessing our waste at a local paper mill reduces its environmental impact, which is important for many residents, as well as the council.’

A recent YouGov poll commissioned by DS Smith showed that more than a third of UK adults (37 percent) said they feared the materials they recycle will end up in landfills or incineration sites. Recycling locally at Kemsley reassures householders that paper and cardboard are recycled and have not gone overseas. 

Sian Farrell, senior business and contract manager at DS Smith’s recycling division, added: ‘We are proud of the long-term partnerships we have with many of our customers, and this is a particularly great example. In our 20 years of working with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council they have provided us with good quality material for our paper-making process, and we have been able to supply them with fully auditable and sustainable recycling facilities that have helped to grow their recycling rates.’

Recycled paper and cardboard from the Borough form part of DS Smith’s circular business model that provides packaging from recycled papers for various sectors, including retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing.