Sustainability at Spitalfields

At Spitalfields we have long been committed to minimising the impact we make on the environment. Since 2005 we have been recycling the waste produced by our tenants – the shops, eateries and market traders – which accounts for the majority of the waste produced in the Spitalfields Estate.

82% of Waste Recycled at Spitalfields
We continue to look for ways we can recycle more and waste less and as a result we’ve got our waste recycling up from 74% to 82%* - but we are not stopping there. Our next target is 85% of waste recycled.

Commitment to Sustainability

Here’s a summary of some of the ways we recycle and reduce waste at Spitalfields.

• Recycle waste produced by the shops, restaurants and market traders
• Recycling bins for waste produced by visitors
• Recycle food waste using anaerobic digestion
• Reduce pollution and energy use through coordinated and efficient deliveries
• Use of energy saving bulbs, timers and dedicated lighting to reduce energy usage
• Reduce the water used in cleaning the estate through more efficient processes and practices
• Attracting wildlife with the organic garden
• Providing an opportunity for local children to learn about the environment by growing plants and vegetables from seed

Recycling Bins

Re-cycling bins in Spitalfields allow visitors to re-cycle on the go. The investment has been jointly funded by the Spitalfields Estate and Coca-Cola Enterprises who are working with Recoup, the UK’s leading authority on plastics waste management, to boost re-cycling of drink cans and bottles by making it easier and more convenient.

Food Waste Recycled into Electricity & Fertiliser

At Spitalfields we re-cycle food waste using a process called anaerobic digestion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion] (AD) to turn it into electricity and an excellent organic fertiliser.

AD is the government’s preferred recycling route for food waste. The electricity produced is fed back into the National Grid while the fertiliser can be used for growing crops which in turn can be purchased by restaurants creating a cycle which minimises environmental impact.

Improving Deliveries to Cut Waste

The Spitalfields Estate has six restaurants which receive many deliveries each day. Noticing that excessive or prolonged deliveries meant delivery vehicles were running engines and cooling equipment unnecessarily, the Spitalfields management team monitored deliveries to find out which restaurants were being delivered to by which companies.

What we found was that many of the delivery companies were delivering more than one restaurant but at different times during any given day and that deliveries were delayed due to poor organisation.

We held discussions with the restaurant managers, neighbouring businesses and the main suppliers and organised delivery schedules to coincide with each other. As a result, we have been able to reduce the amount of vehicles delivering to site.

In addition, our security officers now instruct all vehicles to switch off engines and where possible, the cooling equipment while on site and a phone system has been installed so delivery drivers can easily and quickly notify the restaurants that their supplies have arrived. These two actions have dramatically cut waste and pollution from engine and cooling systems running while improving the efficiency of the delivery process. This has also reduced noise pollution and traffic congestion.

Reducing Energy Used for Lighting

The 40w bulbs lighting the Spitalfields Traders Market have been with low energy bulbs and timers have been fitted so that the lights are switched off when the market is empty. We have also reduced the amount of lighting we use during the dark winter months. Rather than leaving all the lights on in the market we are adding low energy lighting for specific areas where the lighting is poor. This will replace the need for the market lighting and reduce the energy consumption for the area.

Cutting Water Consumption

Our cleaning contractor, Office & General, is fully involved with all of our environmental based initiatives and many of our initiatives have been suggested by our cleaning manager. As we carry out scrubber a jet washing of our public space, we are conscious of our water consumption. Following a recent review we have been able to reduce water consumption even further by introducing new technologies that use high speed brushes and suction to give excellent performance on pavement cleaning. This allows us to reduce the use of jet washing to a minimum and to reduce the water consumption in our cleaning regime overall.

Organic Garden

The Spitalfields organic vegetable and herb garden, situated in the landscaped section of Bishops Square, is an ongoing environmental project taking place on the Spitalfields Estate. The plants, which are all grown from seed, are planted and nurtured by Paul Pulford from the local Spitalfields City Farm. Once harvested the vegetables are distributed to local residents and visitors to the Estate.

The organic garden has proved popular with local residents and wildlife alike attracting a wide variety of birds. So much so that a bird feeder modelled from the felled branches of a tree in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is due to be installed to provide them with a place to feed, drink and bathe undisturbed.

Paul worked on the design and construction of the Eden Project’s Places of Change garden, which won a Silver Medal in the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show. Continuing his work within the community, Paul is currently developing a project that will engage local school children in tending the Spitalfields organic garden. This will see the expansion of the organic gardens footprint across the landscaped areas in Bishops Square. Pupils will be taught how to plant and nurture the gardens as well as the impact organic green spaces can have on their local environment and wildlife.

Did You Know?

The Allen & Overy building in Spitalfields incorporates a substantial photovoltaic (solar panel) installation which generates enough electricity each year to light an average three-bed house for 90 years and saves over 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

*Based on the percentage of waste produced on site that is completely re-cycleable. Total waste produced on-site is approx 62,108 kgs per month.