Christopher Hodgson, head of retail and commerce at Envirowise, believes a partnership approach is the key, and he puts a great focus on educating centre managers and tenants about the benefits of working together.

"Communication between tenants and centre manger is essential," says Hodgson. "Tenants want to do something but they say there are no recycling facilities and centre management says their tenants don't want to get involved."

He points out that many centres have a number of ideas about how to reduce waste levels and energy emissions but believe their tenants are not interested. "But when we go out there and talk to them, we get a very different message," he says. "We have to inform and educate. The centre has more responsibility to inform the tenants about energy use, water wastage and so on."

Hodgson points to ideas such as closing shop doors to save on heating. While retailers are not keen to close their doors as this could be seen as uninviting to customers, Hodgson says it can work. At Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth most retailers were reluctant to shut their doors, but in the end they placed laminated signs on the doors to show that they were open and to explain why the door was shut.

"It's also about motivating tenants and working with them at head office level to create autonomy," explains Hodgson.

Two years ago, Envirowise came to The Meadows, Chelmsford and identified areas of recycling and energy where they could improve. The centre is now achieving up to 66 per cent recycling of cardboard, glass, paper and plastic.

The centre is the first in the country to order a Hanna machine, which will be installed to recycle foodstuffs, including meat and fish, which can then be used for landscaping.

"That's one of the big initiatives," says centre manager Malcolm Tilsed. "We're also getting £12,000 a year back for recycling cardboard. We used to empty the compactor twice a week and now it happens just once a month."

Tilsed stresses the importance in working alongside the tenants. "The tenants have been brilliant. They sort all their waste and we've issued them with bins and utilities to sort the rubbish," he explains.

Major private landowner, Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP), has launched a waste management scheme for retailers in Princess Square shopping centre as part of its new environmental inititive for Bracknell.

The scheme is the first of many eco-friendly initiatives that BRP is putting in place for the future. It aims to reduce cardboard waste by cardboard baling. Bentalls is the latest retailer to support the initiative, which now includes all 51 retailers in the centre. BRP hopes to extend the initiative to retailers across the town centre next year.

Since September last year, the centre has baled 65 tonnes of cardboard. Previous expectations of baling between 75 and 80 tonnes of cardboard each year has more than doubled to an estimated 170 to 180 tonnes.

Rob Morris, retail manager for BRP, says the partnership approach with tenants has helped drive this success. He adds: "What it takes is for someone to go along and spend a little time with the manager and tell them about what we're doing and get them on board. People are now recognising that they can play a part and it can be as simple as flat packing their delivery boxes for recycling."

WSP Environmental provides solutions to energy- and environment-related business issues.

Associate Colin Morrison says heating, energy and cooling systems remain important within shopping centres but he insists that much can be done to reduce the amount of energy used.

He points to the idea of shopping centres generating their own power on site. While a decision to install such a system should not be taken lightly, it would enable the centre to have control over how much energy the tenants have access to.

Instead of retailers installing their own air conditioning systems, choosing the brightest halogen lamps to light their shops and having access to power from the grid, they would instead buy-in a given amount of energy, heating and cooling from the owner at a competitive price.

A problem occurs, however, when the tenants want the freedom to use as much energy as they need, in order to have the brightest displays and the coolest shops in the summer. "Instantly they want control of their own environment," says Morrison. "Then we need to get into a culture change and work with the tenants, explaining how we have gone for a sustainable approach to energy. We will suggest that the client gets rid of their halogen lights and uses LED lights, which are in some instances 20 times more efficient and generate significantly less heat, but the light levels are just as good.

"There are concerns on both sides and we often get involved in that."

While many businesses are now looking at the option of generating their own energy on site, another option is to use an Energy Supply Company (ESCO). "Some landlords are perhaps nervous about the upfront capital that's involved in installing their own power generation plant, which could be expensive, so they go to an ESCO who will agree to sell electricity at a certain rate," adds Morrison.

Over the last 18 months, Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow has also worked in partnership with the centre's waste company to halve the amount of waste going to landfill by sending recyclable material off-site to be separated. "This makes it easier for the retailers," says centre manager Hamish Millar. "They don't have the resources to do it so it's incumbent on us to make it as easy as possible for them."

Consult the experts

Having previously sent all waste to landfill, the Freeport Braintree shopping village in Essex has seen recycling go from 0 to 60 per cent in just two years since joining forces with waste management specialist futur.

At the end of 2005 the company provided the shopping centre with two vertical mill balers for recycling cardboard and one smaller vertical baler for polythene films. Retailers are separating the materials before they are baled for transport.

A recycling route has been secured for light tubes covered under the hazardous waste regulations, and wooden pallets and glass are also recycled.

Contacts

Envirowise: 0800 585794

The Meadows: http://www.chelmsford-shopping.co.uk

Bracknell Regeneration Partnership: 01344 350080

WSP Environmental: 020 7314 5000

Buchanan Galleries: http://www.buchanangalleries.co.uk

thecentre:mk: http://www.thecentremk.com

LSI: http://www.lsiutilitybroker.co.uk

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