VERDANT SIGNS 10,000TH MEMBER FOR ARUN’S GREEN WASTE CLUB

13th May 2010 – Municipal services contractor Verdant has signed the 10,000th member of its Arun Green Waste Club (GWC), the subscription-based garden waste recycling service that it operates for Arun District Council in West Sussex.

The Arun Club was the very first of Verdant’s GWC model to be launched in 2005 and the company now operates similar schemes for Surrey Heath Borough Council and East Northamptonshire Council. It also manages fee-based garden waste recycling services operated by South Oxfordshire District Council, Swale Borough Council and Norwich City Council.

The 10,000th member was Ceri Norman, a teaching assistant in the pre-prep department of Prebendal School in Chichester, who signed up for the Club’s service just a few weeks ago. As a mark of her status, she received a congratulatory bottle of champagne and a full refund of her Club subscription fee from Laura Greenfield-Parker, Verdant’s business manager for Arun’s recycling, refuse and cleansing contract.

Ceri, married with two grown children and a pair of grandchildren, moved to Arun about 16 months ago and lives in Bognor Regis. She said: “I’m really thrilled to have such a prestigious membership number. My initial response on hearing the news was probably unprintable, but it was a lovely surprise. I first heard about the Club when I saw a recent promotional leaflet and thought that it was a great idea.

“We have a medium-size ornamental garden with lawns and hedges, and I’ve already filled my green waste wheeled bin twice. It’s a really useful service as it saves me time, trouble and fuel, and I’m pleased that everything I collect goes toward making compost.”

Greenfield-Parker added that Ceri’s membership was a ‘real landmark’ for the Green Waste Club which has helped residents divert over 18,000 tonnes of green waste from unnecessary and expensive landfill. “The Club’s service really helps members and the environment,” she continued. “The very first person to join the Arun GWC is still a member, which is a great endorsement of the service.”

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About Verdant
Verdant Group Plc (www.verdant-group.co.uk), part of the fast-growing, recycling-led Greenstar UK group (www.greenstar.co.uk), provides high quality, efficient recycling, refuse, street cleansing and grounds maintenance services for 24 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. These include the company’s first twin-council contract for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils. The company makes over 65 million recycling and refuse collections annually from around 1 million households, and employs 1,500 staff operating with 600+ vehicles. The 2009 launch of South Oxfordshire’s new recycling, refuse, food and green waste collection service helped push local recycling rates to 70%, while Surrey Heath’s enhanced recycling, refuse, food and garden waste collection scheme is achieving 60% rates. Hundreds of Verdant’s staff hold a recognised vocational qualification following a company-wide skills development programme due for completion in 2010.

For further media information, contact:

Blair Drummond, Verdant PR consultant – tel (m) 07798 686 217, email blair.drummond@btopenworld.com