Cool new ice cream tub recycling at Abbey Theatre
Eco-Theatre first for St Albans
Abbey Theatre in St Albans, Hertfordshire has teamed up with Cawleys Waste Management to recycle all ice cream tubs used on the premises – believed to be the first theatre in the country to do so.
Each year the theatre sells nearly 4000 tubs of Criterion ice cream, mostly eaten during the interval by theatre-goers attending performances in the Main Theatre seating 230 people, or the more intimate Studio which has a varied programme of smallscale plays and other events.
Ice cream tubs fall into the same category as coffee cups and are notoriously hard to recycle. The inner plastic film means that they need to be passed through specialist equipment to separate the lining from the outer casing. In a bid to become more environmentally friendly, the Abbey Theatre St Albans has now appointed Cawleys to collect the tubs in special recycling containers that will be positioned next to the ice cream counter.
“On average, every person in the UK eats nine litres of ice cream a year. As a nation, we don’t need much of an excuse to tuck into our favourite frozen dessert and for many, the half time interval ice cream is an essential part of the theatre experience,” comments Anna Cawley, Director of Customer Service at Cawleys.
“There is also a lot of associated packaging with ice cream – unlike a cone, you can’t eat a tub or box. So, we’ve been working with the Abbey Theatre to ensure that every ice cream tub used by theatre goers is collected and recycled.”
For over 50 years the Abbey Theatre has provided high-quality, affordable theatre to the local community. Predominantly run by volunteers, the theatre is committed to doing its best for both the local community, and the planet, part of which is reducing their impact on the environment.
“We looked at the waste generated on site and through working with Cawleys, we’ll be able to recover as much material as possible for reuse and recycling. That includes every single ice cream tub!” comments Tina Swain, Abbey Theatre Manager.
As well as recycling ice cream tubs, the theatre also serves drinks in glass or high-quality reusable plastic tumblers, whilst coffee is served in pottery rather than disposable cups.
“Our theatre is a treasure trove of reused, repurposed and refurbished items especially in our workshop, wardrobe and props departments. Many of these items are used not only within our own theatre, but are hired to other local drama groups and schools.
“Our production budgets are a far cry from other professional theatres so making good use of what we have acquired over the years is a vital part of our continued ability to be entirely self-supporting,” adds Tina.
Cawleys is well known for its pioneering waste management solutions and was the first company in the UK to provide a commercial waste collection service sending food waste to anaerobic digestion working with Waitrose. In 2018, Cawleys introduced a new system to tackle plastic waste and clean waste streams for all business customers called ‘Infinity’, which also includes recycling of disposable cups and used coffee grounds.
Cawleys also collects the theatre’s general waste which is to be sorted through its Materials Recycling Facility, ensuring as much material as possible is extracted and recycled.
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About Cawleys
Cawleys is one of the UK’s leading independently owned waste and resource recycling companies. Established in 1947, the company ethos is ‘local recycling, global responsibility’.
From its headquarters in Luton, Cawleys provides waste management services across England for thousands of organisations from the smallest local businesses to the largest corporate estates such as Canary Wharf, London.
Cawleys was the first company in the UK to provide a specialist food waste recycling service to anaerobic digestion, and has won numerous awards for its recycling best practice. Specialist services include hazardous and liquid waste disposal, WEEE recycling, lithium-ion battery and confidential waste disposal.
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