About The Client
20 Fenchurch Street is one of London’s most striking landmarks, rising proudly in the heart of the city’s financial district. Completed in 2014, the building is celebrated for its bold, forward-thinking design — a distinctive, top-heavy silhouette that broadens elegantly as it soars skyward. Standing 160 meters tall with 37 floors, it is crowned by the spectacular Sky Garden, a vibrant public space offering unrivalled, panoramic views across the capital. Seamlessly blending cutting-edge architecture with a great visitor experience, 20 Fenchurch Street has become a defining feature of London’s skyline.
Services Provided
Our Client's Challenge
In January, the recycling rate at 20 Fenchurch Street stood at 65%. The primary challenges faced by our client, included retraining cleaning staff to ensure recyclable materials were diverted from general waste and tackling incorrect disposal practices by occupiers.
With a target of reaching an 85% recycling rate by the end of Q2, significant progress was made following targeted training for waste operatives on what can be included in mixed recycling.
Another ongoing challenge was managing loading bay time slots, as missed collections risked causing waste overspill. While our reliable service has largely minimised this issue, occasional difficulties arose in arranging ad-hoc or skip collections, which require a permit to be submitted 72 hours in advance.
To address these challenges, we now schedule collections well ahead of standard timelines and coordinate closely with security teams to ensure access for out-of-hours requirements.
Our Solution
We have introduced new recycling streams for coffee cups and green waste, and are exploring the potential benefits of paper towel recycling—dependent on occupier commitment to prevent contamination.
The main cleaning contractor on site, Principle Cleaning, works closely with us both here and across more than 80 sites in London. Together, we have trained all their staff, and have also delivered sessions for non-Principle Cleaning staff on effective use of the on-site waste weighing machine and correct waste segregation.
Most recently, we installed a waste sorting table in the bin store area. Recorra provided a week of intensive training for the Principle Waste Operative to ensure recyclable material is effectively removed from general waste, improving the quality of materials collected.
For Plastic Free July, we hosted an event celebrating the hard work of the past 18 months. The event acted as a refresher for on-site stakeholders, raising awareness of recycling best practices and highlighting the positive impact achieved over this period. As part of the celebration, tickets to Kew Gardens and London Zoo were awarded to several participants, making it our most successful awareness initiative to date.
We also marked the achievement of an 81% recycling rate—a milestone made possible only through the collaboration of Principle Cleaning and Recorra.
Achievements
We successfully increased the recycling rate at 20 Fenchurch Street from 65% in January 2024 to 81% in July 2025 nearing our target of 85%.
Our commitment to sustainable waste management was recognised with a Green Apple Award.
We delivered impactful awareness campaigns, including a World Environment Day event that engaged over 70 participants. The introduction of new recycling streams for coffee cups and green waste, supported by targeted staff training, has significantly improved waste segregation practices.
Improved planning for ad-hoc collections and enhanced communication with security have streamlined operations, while strong stakeholder engagement has helped to build positive, collaborative relationships among all parties involved.
Here’s what the client had to say:
We’re pleased to see positive improvements at 20 Fenchurch Street since partnering with Recorra, enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and compliance across our waste management operations
