Fresh Start Waste Services is celebrating a win at the International Green Apple Environment Awards 2026 and a place on the shortlist for Independent Operator of the Year at the MRW National Recycling Awards 2026.
At the heart of both award entries is our commitment to recovering more value from waste through investment in our Swinton Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). The facility demonstrates how an independent waste management business can improve recycling performance through long-term investment, practical innovation and a willingness to challenge established approaches.
Investing in better recycling at Swinton
In 2020, Fresh Start invested £750,000 in a Kiverco Materials Recovery Facility to improve the separation and recovery of dry mixed recycling. This investment came several years before Simpler Recycling and reflected our belief that more could be done to capture useful materials from mixed loads.
Dry mixed recycling can contain valuable paper, cardboard, plastics and metals, but collecting these materials is only the first step. How they are sorted, the level of contamination and the quality of the recovered material all influence what can be returned to productive use.
Our approach has been to keep improving that process. Through investment in equipment, our people, separation methods and quality control, the Swinton facility has increased the proportion of dry mixed recycling recovered as recyclable material from approximately 41% to more than 60%, as reported in our Green Apple award programme.
With approximately 15,000 tonnes of dry mixed recycling processed each year, that improvement represents a substantial increase in the valuable resources we can recover.
Recycling first, with a clear route for the remainder
Our focus is on recovering recyclable materials before considering energy recovery.
Material remaining after sorting that cannot be recycled is shredded on site into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for energy recovery. This provides a zero-landfill route for the dry mixed recycling stream processed through the facility.
The distinction matters: recycling returns materials to productive use, while energy recovery provides a route for the residual fraction. We believe customers should understand both, with clear information about what happens to their waste beyond collection.
That commitment extends to digital compliance documentation, onboard weighing data and recycling-performance reporting, alongside practical support to improve segregation and reduce contamination at customers’ sites.
International recognition for environmental improvement
Our winning Green Apple entry, “Fresh Start is leading the industry by doing what others wouldn’t…”, focused on the work behind these improvements and our commitment to more transparent resource management.
Fresh Start has been confirmed as a winner in the Environmental Services sector, under Environmental Improvement, at the International Green Apple Environment Awards 2026.
The presentation takes place at the House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, on 23 November 2026. Our award level will be revealed at the ceremony.
Shortlisted for Independent Operator of the Year
Fresh Start has also been shortlisted for Independent Operator of the Year at the MRW National Recycling Awards 2026, with the winner due to be announced at the Royal Lancaster London on 1 December.
Our entry placed the Swinton facility investment at the centre of a wider approach to running an independent waste management business: investing ahead of demand, developing our people and building lasting customer relationships.
It also highlighted the role of customer education. From explaining how to separate materials more effectively to using our collection vehicles to promote recycling, we want to help businesses make informed decisions about their waste.
Building on the facility’s performance
Fresh Start has committed a further £1.5 million to its long-term processing strategy, including the purchase of an adjoining building.
The proposed next phase would approximately double processing space and create room for further improvements, including bag-splitting technology to release recyclable materials from bagged loads. The expansion remains subject to planning approval and would build on the results already achieved by the existing facility.
Both award entries reflect the contribution of the people behind this work: the teams collecting and processing materials, maintaining standards, supporting customers and continually improving our services.
For our customers, the ambition remains straightforward: recover more useful material, provide clear evidence of where waste goes and keep improving the environmental outcomes of commercial waste management.
Want to understand what happens to your business waste? Contact Fresh Start to discuss your recycling arrangements or arrange a visit to our Swinton Materials Recovery Facility.
