Welcome to First Mile
Barnardo's Recycling Hub
Welcome to First Mile and Barnardo's Recycling Hub!
Barnardo's stores across the country can recycle more and waste less, with tailored solutions designed to make sustainable operations easy and effective.
Below you'll find everything you need to get started including:
- Barnardo's Waste Handbook
- Important contact details
- Branded recycling posters
- FAQs
Read our Barnardo's Waste Handbook, packed with practical guidance to help your store recycle more and waste less.
Inside, you'll find tips on how to:
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Optimise your in-store bin set-up for better recycling
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Navigate the First Mile Customer Recycling Portal
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Reduce waste with everyday waste-reduction tips for your team
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Access training, webinars, and support from First Mile
You can reach our expert team by calling 0333 300 3448. Support is available 24/7.
Prefer email? Contact us at customers@thefirstmile.co.uk.
Download Barnardo's branded recycling posters for all streams, including Dry Mixed Recycling, Food Recycling, General Waste and more.
Putting up recycling posters in your store is a quick way to boost recycling and reduce waste contamination. Clear, branded signage helps your team determine what materials go in each bin, and supports Barnardo's sustainability goals.
Why use First Mile?
As one of the leading waste management companies in London, Birmingham and the UK, First Mile has already helped over 30,000 businesses to reduce their carbon impact with our range of recycling services - with over 200 new businesses signing up each week.
By choosing First Mile, you’ll benefit from a low cost, reliable service, a 24/7 helpdesk, and free monthly reporting. You can view our accreditations above and our certificates and insurances here.
Can I please order more sacks and/or recycling stickers?
The quickest way to do this is online. Please log in to your customer portal here and under ‘scheduled services’ click on ‘Order again’ and then follow the instructions.
How long will my delivery take?
For orders in London and Birmingham, we aim to deliver the next working day (if ordered before 4pm), however this can take up to 3 working days. Our delivery times are between 8am and 5pm.
For any orders outside of these areas, delivery can be expected within 3-5 working days.
I need a copy of my Waste Transfer Note/Consignment Note or Certificate of Secure Destruction?
We can’t provide these via email, the only way to access these is via your online portal. Please click here, then click on ‘Documents’ and then sign (if needed) and download.
If you have multiple sites, you can also log-in then go to ‘Account’ in the navigation followed by ‘Compliance’ to sign and view all.
I need to know if I am compliant for the new Simpler Recyling legislation?
As of 1st April 2025, all organisations in England of over 10 full time equivalent employees much separate food waste and recyclables from residual waste.
The recyclable materials that must be separated from residual waste are glass, paper, card, single-use plastics and tins & cans.
This means that Specsavers stores in England must have general waste, food waste and mixed recycling collections in place.
My waste wasn’t collected
We are sorry that your collection was missed, to save any further delay, please log into your portal here to report this.
Once you are logged in, please click on ‘help’ followed by ‘Report an issue’, select the ‘missed collection’ option, the waste stream and dates missed and click ‘submit’. For sites located in Birmingham and London we aim to recover the waste the following day, outside of these areas we will recover your waste as soon as we are able to.
