person fixing a bike at the Renew Hub

Rethinking Waste


Waste is not something to be simply thrown away, it’s a resource that has a value and in Greater Manchester we’re committed to turning your waste into something useful.  

When we procured the waste contracts, GMCA recognised an opportunity to generate wider benefits for Greater Manchester residents by allocating 15% of the overall marks to social value initiatives. As a result, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK developed over 50 social value commitments, the largest of these being the creation of Renew, Greater Manchester's reuse scheme.   

SUEZ have committed to deliver 54 annual social value commitments; these are summarised below. 

  • Retaining and training a local workforce of over 650 staff 

  • Creating 92 apprenticeships over 10 years 

  • Offering work placements for young people  

  • Supporting schools and university with career events to  

  • SUEZ is a member of the Good Employment Charter  

  • Committed to a supply chain spend of 60% on SMEs, social enterprises and micro businesses in Greater Manchester 

  • Creation of the R4GM Community fund to reinvest money into the region with an annual fund of £220,000 

  • An annual donation of £100,000 to the Greater Manchester’s Mayor fund which focuses on tackling homelessness 

  • Commitment to improve biodiversity on the waste facilities 

  • 100% of energy supplied by renewable sources 

  • Offset carbon output by planting 200 trees a year 

  • Committed to processing recycling as locally as possible, for example, all Greater Manchester’s paper and card is recycled at the SAICA paper mill in Partington in Trafford. 

This new way of managing waste is featured in a digital series launched by CIWM called Leading the Way to a World Beyond Waste to show how waste management is changing as we move towards a low carbon and more resource efficient circular economy


Read our latest social value newsletter and browse past editions. 

November 2022 (Word, 1.6MB)

October 2022 (Word, 5.2MB)

September 2022 (Word, 5MB)

June 2022 (Word, 5.2MB)

July 2022 (Word, 3.1MB)

August 2022 (Word, 5.1MB)