First Mile is a UK commercial recycling company based in London. It works with businesses to help them recycle as much waste as possible and send nothing to landfill.
Background
First Mile Limited is a waste management and recycling company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. First Mile collects waste and recycling from businesses, and sends it to partners for processing. First Mile has a focus on closed loop recycling, striving to keep materials in use. For example, turning cardboard back into cardboard, glass into glass, and paper back into paper. First Mile offers recycling services for over 20 materials, such as paper, glass, plastics, food, compostable packaging, coffee grounds and coat hangers. First Mile collects over 60,000 tonnes of waste a year and has an average recycle rate of over 60%.
History
First Mile was founded in 2004 by Bruce Bratley in Islington, North London. In the early days, trucks were parked near Bruce's house and he would often drive them himself to complete weekend collections. The name is an inversion of the “Last Mile” concept associated with the last leg of telecommunications delivery. “First Mile’ focuses on the first leg of recycling, collecting it from the end user in as convenient a way as possible, and delivering to local recycling facilities. Between 2012 and 2014, the company acquired the competitors Cory Environmental, Revolution Recycling and All Clear. In 2015 the head office moved from Essex Road railway station to the workspace Screenworks in Islington, North London. The main depot is located in Park Royal, northwest of the city. The company also has another office and depot in Birmingham. The company today serves over 27,000 businesses across the UK
Technology and innovation
By 2017, First Mile had over 10,000 clients. It has attracted investments from private equity company Growth Capital Partners. Zero emissions electric vans and cargo bikes were also introduced in 2017. Today, the entire fleet of over 70 vehicles is either zero or low-emissions, and the company was ready for ULEZ ahead of its implementation in April 2019. In 2018 the construction of the pre-sorting facility named the Sacktory was completed. Located at the depot in Park Royal, the Sacktory ensures a higher recycling rate by separating mixed recycling materials from general waste. An average of 100 tonnes of waste is processed at the facility every day. In its first year of operations, the Sacktory has prevented 250 tonnes of CO2 emissions and helped First Mile reach the Mayor's 65% recycling target for London. The company continues to invest in recycling strategies. It is currently developing its RecycleLab, which will be completed in 2019. The RecycleLab analyses non-traditional materials to find recycling or sustainable end-of-life solutions. It also aims to help brands design products that can remain in the circular economy, following the waste management hierarchy developed by the Waste Framework Directive.
