Commercial Waste Management Richmond

Richmond’s household waste collections are managed by Richmondshire District Council. In 2007/08 the percentage of waste being sent for composting, recycling or landfill was at an all-time low of 33.10%. In the years since, thanks to continual improvements to waste collection schemes and a general shift in attitudes towards recycling, these rates have been much improved.

The Richmondshire District celebrated a record 52.4% high in 2015/16, over 10 percent more than the national average at the time, unfortunately, this high performance was not sustained. Since then, rates of recycling have dropped to 39.2%, three points below the national average, but still a marked improvement from much earlier years.

The Richmond community engages in a handful of local initiatives to reduce waste and improve the local economy, one of which is the Richmond & District Local Trading Exchange System. This Local Exchange Trading System allows those taking part to exchange goods and services for ‘Cobbles’.

Each participant has an account that is debited cobbles (when they use a service or buy goods) and is credited cobbles when someone purchases a service or good from them. In this manner, those with less money may be able to procure services from others in exchange for service or goods that they can otherwise offer.

Richmond is also a frequent entrant into the RHS’ Britain in Bloom competition, which sees dozens of volunteers offer their hoes, shovels and hands in order to help make the town look its best. Richmond won the 2018 Yorkshire Rose Discretionary Award for Best New Entry, being praised by judges for the speed with which the community was able to come together and improve their local surroundings.

In 2019, a focus was put on the amount of waste that the town produces and its efforts to reduce its environmental impact. ‘Waste sculptures’ were created and displayed in the Friary Gardens.