Recycling
Ethical Business Practices & Sustainable Cable Sourcing
At Cleveland Cable Company, we are deeply committed to conducting our operations with the highest standards of ethics, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. The Managing Director oversees the enforcement of ethical business practices throughout the organisation, while departmental managers are responsible for implementing the company's ethics policy in their daily operations.
This commitment extends to the ethical sourcing of cables and related materials. Our Purchasing Manager ensures that all cable products and components are procured in accordance with strict ethical and environmental standards. The approval of suppliers and subcontractors is conducted by the Purchasing Manager, Senior Buyer, and Group QSHE Manager to guarantee compliance with our ethical sourcing policy.
Cleveland Cable products meet essential sustainability criteria, including adherence to recycling regulations, a reduced carbon footprint, consideration of embodied carbon, and a positive impact on the community.
As the UK's leading cable distributor & stockist, rather than a manufacturer, our direct waste output is minimal, primarily stemming from office and warehouse operations. Despite this, we are dedicated to responsible waste management, aiming for zero waste to landfill and maximising the use of sustainable and recycled materials throughout our supply chain.
Wooden Drums and Battens – Reuse and Recycling
Wooden cable drums and battens are a core part of our packaging system and serve as a prime example of circular resource use:
- We provide a free-of-charge drum collection service for empty cable drums.
- Returned drums are reused in future deliveries, extending their lifespan.
- When a drum can no longer be reused, it is dismantled and sent for recycling.
We hold a waste transfer licence to transport reclaimed wood to UK Wood Recycling (UKWR), located adjacent to the Wilton 10 Biomass Power Station, the UK’s first purpose-built wood-fuelled power station.
UKWR transforms the recycled wood into:
- Animal bedding
- Equestrian surfaces
- Wood chip fuel for Wilton 10
Scrap Cable Recycling & Sustainable Management
Cable waste is one of the UK’s most significant dedicated waste streams, generated from the removal of obsolete cables across road and rail infrastructure projects, as well as from demolition and new build works in commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. Despite its scale, cable waste is among the most recyclable materials, with nearly 100% of it capable of being recovered and reprocessed, often returning directly to the cable manufacturing industry through circular recycling.
At Cleveland Cable Company, we are committed to reducing cable waste through responsible recycling and sustainable waste management practices. All scrap cable is ethically sold to licensed local non-ferrous metal recyclers, ensuring maximum material recovery and compliance with environmental regulations. In 2024, we successfully diverted 97.4% of our waste from landfill, underscoring our goal of achieving zero waste to landfill and our ongoing dedication to environmentally responsible operations.