Here at WeAreWaterloo BID, we’re proud to help local businesses reduce their environmental impact – from subsidised recycling to greener streets and smarter waste solutions.

What We’re Doing

We partner with First Mile to make low-cost, accessible recycling easy across Waterloo. So far in 2025:

• Over 200 businesses across the BID area are receiving subsidised or free recycling support
• Businesses are saving an average of £734 per year, with total collective savings of over £152,000 in 2025 alone

But recycling is just one piece of the puzzle.

Here in Waterloo, we’re also reshaping the public realm to make sustainability part of everyday life.

Hercules Road has been transformed

Nearly 300 m² of new planting, secure cycle parking, trees, and seating now replace former car bays. Delivered in partnership with Lambeth Council, South Bank & Waterloo Neighbours (SoWN), and South Bank BID, this project reclaims space for people, not just vehicles.

Across the BID, we also:

• Deliver over 6,250 hours of environmental care every year – including jet washing, planter repairs, graffiti removal, and painting, led by our on-the-ground team including Frankie and Val.
• Provide 2,800+ hours of additional street cleaning annually, thanks to Jose, who helps keep Waterloo clean and welcoming.
• Maintain over 140 planters and 8 green spaces, including Hercules Road, The Cut, Baylis Road, Lower Marsh, and St George’s Gardens – with year-round planting and care led by Frances, our expert gardener.
• Offer free green waste collection to all street-level businesses and Lower Marsh Market traders.
• Support timed road closures on Lower Marsh, introduced with Lambeth Council, to improve air quality, encourage walking, and create more sociable, pedestrian-friendly space.
• Run initiatives like Rooted, our lunchtime gardening club, and Edible Marsh, connecting workers, residents, and charities to urban growing – while helping maintain BID green spaces with support from Frances and the local community.
• Remove on average 130 m² of graffiti each year, supporting a cleaner, more inviting public realm.
• Work towards Net Zero by 2030, through action on waste, energy, transport, and greening.

As part of Recycle Week, businesses are invited to a free First Mile RecycleID Webinar.

Led by First Mile’s Director of Client Growth & Strategy, the session will introduce RecycleID, a smart new platform that uses QR-coded sacks and weighing systems to help multi-tenanted buildings track waste by tenant or floor, increase recycling rates, and meet changing regulations.

Date: Thursday 25 September
Time: 10am
Register here

Also this Recycle Week: check out Sustains Us.

We’re spotlighting Sustains Us, a local resident-led sustainability initiative that recently distributed the Living Green Challenge booklet to all households in South Bank and Waterloo. The booklet shares practical ways to get involved in green projects and sustainable services, from community gardening to reducing waste.

Explore the programme and interactive map here.