St Austell Brewery has signed an extended three-year contract with waste management firm Cornwall Waste Solutions (CWS).

Since first partnering with the company in 2017, the brewery — which has a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its sustainability initiatives — has achieved zero waste to landfill status, across its core waste and recycling operations.

CWS will continue to manage the brewery’s entire waste output from its head offices, key distribution hubs, and managed pub estate. To mark the renewed deal, CWS has also branded a dedicated waste disposal vehicle for the brewery, which will travel between the company’s sites across Cornwall.

Since joining forces in 2017, the two neighbouring businesses have worked towards reducing the brewery’s environmental footprint, improving waste segregation and helping to divert 100% of the company’s waste from landfill.

Food waste from the brewery’s pubs is sent to anaerobic digestion plants to be composted, glass is sent back to the glass production chain to be recycled, and mixed recycling cardboard and plastic is sent back into the manufacturing process. The bewery’s general waste is sent to waste to energy recovery plants to be converted into electricity.

Piers Thompson, external relations director and head of St Austell Brewery’s Environmental Steering Group, said: “We’re really proud to say that over 2,300 tonnes of our waste — from our head office, pubs and distribution centres — was diverted from landfill last year. In fact, this year to date, we’ve converted enough waste into energy to heat 147 average households for an entire year.

“It’s thanks to CWS, as well as our dedicated staff across the South West, that we’ve been able to achieve this.”

In April 2018, St Austell Brewery was awarded a Queen’s Award, for sustainability across its operations and long-term commitment to green brewing, reducing the impact of its business on the environment, and awareness of its place in the local and wider community.

The company was praised for its ongoing investments to become more sustainable, including water treatment facilities, the installation of solar panels, and establishing a barley growing partnership with Cornish farms.