Environmental Services

The Environmental Services department is the largest in The Trafford Centre. It cost £1.5 million to set up and employs nearly 80% of the Centre’s 380 staff, including an eight-strong landscape gardening team.

The department is responsible for waste management, maintaining standards of cleanliness inside and outside the Centre and for the upkeep and development of the surrounding landscape as well as pest control.

It is this unique landscape that sets The Trafford Centre apart from other UK shopping centres. Woodland plants line the routes into the 150-acre site, within which the preserved Wilderspool Wood, an area of natural woodland, is a haven for wildlife.

Since the Centre has opened Wilderspool Wood has become a breeding ground for many species including wrens, blue tits mallards and koi karp. Bird and bat box have also been introduced to attract other species and a programme of recycling dead wood has provided suitable habitats for insects and this will, in turn, attract more wildlife.

Thanks to a staff suggestion, information points have now been placed within the wood informing visitors about the flourishing wildlife. Chester Zoo was contacted to produce the signs for the Centre.

Waste Management

More than 80 tonnes of waste is generated in the Centre each week, much of which is recycled due to a system of colour-coded receptacles. These ensure that 12 tonnes of cardboard, 0.5 tonnes of plastic, and thousands of glass bottles are separated ready for re-cycling each week. Nine cardboard compactors further aid the process. In addition to this, all bin liners and chemical packaging purchased are biodegradable.

The recycling committee leads the way in best environmental practices, and the Centre has hosted a number of seminars to educate retail partners about the key role they play in waste management.

The Environmental Services Manager oversees six senior team leaders and 11 team leaders who manage day and night staff as well as a specialist group of cleaners.

Environmental Fast Facts

• The Centre uses approx. 70,000 toilet rolls a year
• Rubbish fills 520,000 bin liners a year
• Three miles of brass hand rails are polished every evening
• 16,000 food trays are cleaned each day
• More than 50 staff work throughout the day in the largest food court in Europe

New Technology

A state-of-the-art computerised checking system enables the environmental services team to continually monitor cleanliness throughout the site. As records accumulate, patterns emerge enabling the department to plan resources accordingly.

Environmental Services Training

All members of the team attend a range of in-house and external training courses and many study for National Vocational Qualifications in cleaning science and related subjects. Other key courses the environmental services team attend are:

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (C.O.S.H.H.)
• Fire and Evacuation
• Fire Marshalling
• First Aid
• Health and Safety

Specialist cleaners also receive training in ‘MEWPs’ - Mobile Elevated Work Platforms.