Grundon has partnered with Calcot & Spa, as the luxury Cotswolds hotel bids to become recognised as one of the UK’s most sustainable destinations.
Some 43 hotels in the UK have met the stringent standards needed to become EarthCheck accredited and of these only 17 are outside London.
Calcot & Spa, near Tetbury, is one of just five outside the capital which has achieved the prestigious Silver Certified status. Hotel management are now on a five year journey to reach the gold standard.
To help reach the qualification the business decided it needed a waste management partner which shared its values and could provide the data required to satisfy the award criteria.
Calcot chose Grundon, and figures show that since 2024 its recycling rates have risen significantly from 57 per cent to 68 per cent of the 74 tonnes of waste produced this year.
“We’re a big site, with the hotel, the spa and a new gym which now has 900 members,” said Sarah Stratford, Sustainability Coordinator at Calcot Manor and Spa.
“So we produce a lot of waste from across our operations, and we’re constantly finding new ways to minimise what we produce, to recycle as much as we can.
“We’re focused on decreasing things like energy and water usage year on year, and managing waste streams is a major factor for us, too.
“Grundon has been great in supporting our objectives and we’re confident they’re the right partner in our journey towards become Gold Certified by EarthCheck. There aren’t many which have achieved such as standard so we’ll be delighted if we get there.”
Sarah Stratford
Sustainability Coordinator
Innovative sustainability measures being deployed at Calcot & Spa include a rewilding land management project on 220 acres of farmland owned by the site, the construction of two new treehouses and also the re-use of discarded coffee grounds which, when mixed with unwanted newspaper, are formed into logs to feed the open fires around the spa and hospitality areas.
Nick Malvern, Regional Sales Lead for Grundon, said:
“Calcot’s innovation in reducing waste is matched by our ability to deploy the full range of services in minimising the environmental impact of waste.”
Nick Malvern
Regional Sales Lead
“We’ve introduced dedicated collections for food waste, for example, and it’s taken to a nearby Anaerobic Digestion plant, where it is turned into fuel and fertiliser.
“We’ve labelled bins clearly and helped train staff in a new culture of sustainability so that they recognise the repercussions of various practices.
“Of course we also bring our own culture of flexibility and responsibility, so that Calcot know we’re here to support whenever they need us.”
In additional to mixed recycling and food waste, the hotel also has collections for general waste and glass. General waste is taken to an Energy from Waste Facility where it is turned into electricity, and glass is taken back to Grundon’s Materials Recovery Facility near Cheltenham before being sent on for recycling.