First Mile, the UK’s leading recycling and waste management provider, today reveals the UK’s top recycling businesses, recognised through its annual Recycling Standard campaign.
In the past year, First Mile worked with more than 30,000 businesses across the UK – welcoming 8,000 new customers – collecting 207,540 tonnes of waste and recycling 94,128 tonnes.
The top three UK companies by recycling tonnage, are: ATG Entertainment Limited, which recycled 3,468 tonnes; Inditex, which recycled 2,540 tonnes; and Gail’s Bakery, which recycled 2,280 tonnes. Together, these organisations represent the highest-volume recyclers in the First Mile network, demonstrating the scale of impact that consistent, data-driven recycling performance can deliver across different sectors.
First Mile’s Recycling Standard has become a cornerstone of the company’s approach to measuring and improving recycling performance. For more than a decade, it has operated as an annual campaign grounded in verified recycling data collected throughout the year and measured consistently across First Mile’s customer base. By benchmarking performance across tens of thousands of UK businesses, the Standard provides a transparent, comparable and evidence-led view of recycling performance across sectors. In 2026, the campaign evolves into an enhanced recognition scheme, positioning itself as a key annual moment for UK recycling and setting clear, evidence-based benchmarks across sectors.
Within the scheme, accreditation levels are awarded based on verified recycling rates and the number of services used. Gold-accredited customers are the highest-performing recyclers in the First Mile network, achieving an 80% or higher recycling rate alongside four or more services, or three or more services where one of these is food recycling. One of these services must be general waste, which is required to be zero to landfill. Silver accreditation recognises businesses achieving a recycling rate of 50% or above with at least two services. Zero to Landfill status is awarded to customers with recycling rates of up to 49% whose general waste is diverted from landfill.
Gold recyclers often have streamlined operations, expanded sector-specific recycling services, and introduced projects to change staff and customer behaviour. They also comply with the government’s Simpler Recycling regulations, which came into effect in April 2025, requiring mixed recycling and food waste collections alongside residual waste.
Talking about the scheme, Bruce Bratley, First Mile founder and CEO, said: “Recycling only works when it is simple, consistent and measurable. Our Recycling Standard is grounded in real data from our customers’ day-to-day operations, allowing us to benchmark performance and recognise genuine progress. By sharing these insights, we are helping businesses understand where they stand and how they can improve, while celebrating those that are already leading the way.”
Speaking of its achievement, Mishal Shuja, Head of Procurement at ATG, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be recognised as one of First Mile’s top recyclers this year. This achievement reflects several years of focused collaboration, operational discipline, and a genuine cultural shift across our venues. Improving our recycling performance supports our wider ISO14001 commitments and motivates our teams who see the positive impact of their efforts every day. The Recycling Standard helps us drive consistency and continually raise the bar, and we’re delighted to see that hard work translated into meaningful results.”
Sofia Rodriguez, Head of Sustainability at Gail’s Bakery, added: “We’re delighted to be recognised as one of First Mile’s top recyclers. The Recycling Standard has helped us strengthen our waste management practices, improve recycling rates across our bakeries, and give our teams greater visibility of the impact they’re making every day. It plays an important role in supporting our wider ESG commitments and reinforcing our ambition to operate responsibly as we grow. We’re proud of the progress so far and remain committed to continuously improving.”
First Mile supports UK-wide businesses across multiple sectors with tailored services. Food and beverage and hospitality businesses can recycle glass, coffee cups, coffee grounds and food waste. Retailers benefit from specialist recycling for coat hangers, textiles and cardboard. Offices and commercial buildings use mixed recycling alongside collections for printer ink cartridges, toner and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Increasing the number of correctly separated streams helps businesses improve recycling rates and achieve higher recognition in the scheme.
Customers also receive detailed reporting on carbon avoided through recycling and waste diverted from landfill, enabling them to track performance and drive continuous improvement. The Recycling Standard’s position as an industry benchmark follows a period of strong external recognition for First Mile, including being named Independent Operator of the Year at the National Recycling Awards 2025 for the second-year running, and B2B Business of the Year at the Growing Business Awards 2025.