The innovative recycling solution, RecycleBox, created by leading recycling company, First Mile, was ‘highly commended’ in the Packaging Innovation of the Year category at the BusinessGreen Technology Awards, held last week (5/12).

The BusinessGreen Technology Awards recognise the achievements of the most exciting and innovative clean tech providers working in the UK today. New for 2019, the Packaging Innovation of the Year category was created to celebrate any technology or design that has successfully curbed the environmental impact of packaging, either through limiting waste, encouraging reuse or recycling, or enhancing sustainability performance.

RecycleBox (recyclebox.co.uk) has been developed by First Mile, to help the UK reach its recycling targets and overcome its stagnant household recycling rates. RecycleBox offers consumers and businesses an easy and low-cost recycling post-back service, aimed at those that want to do more for the environment.

RecycleBox customers fill a cardboard box with hard-to-recycle items or items that that are not traditionally recycled through household or commercial waste services, and then arrange collection for delivery to First Mile’s RecycleLab. Here, materials with existing recycling routes are processed, with trickier items lab-analysed to identify sustainable end-uses.

RecycleBox helps to curb the environmental impact of packaging as it offers a recycling solution for many items that often end up in landfill or incineration, such as long-life drinks cartons, compostable packaging, wine corks and coffee pods.

Speaking about the commendation, First Mile founder and CEO, Bruce Bratley, said: “With the amount of different packaging materials being invented, it’s becoming even more complicated to recycle, not less. We created RecycleBox in response to the increasing appetite among consumers and businesses to become zero-waste, and to be able to recycle everything they possibly can. We’re delighted to have been highly commended at the BusinessGreen awards, it’s great to have the efforts of the First Mile team recognised by the judging panel.”