Peter’s Food Services lead the way in sustainable waste management

Peter’s Food Services may have a long and traditional history in the South Wales food industry, but it is also one of the most forward-thinking and dynamic businesses in the region, especially in its approach to waste management.

Long before the Welsh Government’s Workplace Recycling legislation came into force in April 2024, Peter’s, which is famous for its signature pies and pastries, made its own commitment to recycling and waste segregation. The new law, which made it compulsory for all Welsh businesses to segregate their waste streams, has, however, spurred the company on to make even greater changes, including investing in new waste management equipment from phs Wastekit.

“We have always been committed to reducing the impact of our waste, and we invested in waste management equipment, including balers to handle our cardboard waste, early on,” said Dafydd Davies, Safety, Health, Environmental & Training Manager for Peter’s Food Service Ltd.

“As it was already part of our culture to segregate waste, the new law did not have a huge impact on us – we were acted early and were prepared. We had been through that change with our staff, and we continued to educate them and support their recycling efforts in our head office in Caerphilly and Swansea depot. We did, however, use the new legislation as an opportunity to invest in the latest baling equipment from phs Wastekit to that ensure our waste management was as efficient as possible going forward.”

Peter’s invested in five new state-of-the-art balers for each waste stream, including white cardboard, brown cardboard, tin and general waste. These modern machines allow Peter’s to create larger bales more cost-effectively, ensuring they can achieve the maximum rebate for their waste.

Paul Bancroft, Site Hygiene Manager for Peter’s, said: “The new balers include the latest technology to allow our waste management to become even more efficient and profitable. Our staff received training from Wastekit in how to use the machines in the most cost-effective and productive way, which allowed us to start making savings quickly. The transition was very smooth and the difference they have made a year on is - as we like to say - epic”

Peter’s use a local recycling company for all their cardboard waste, which comes in at between 18-22 tonnes a month, to reduce its waste’s carbon footprint.

As well as taking cardboard and tin recycling seriously, Peter’s also uses its waste segregation systems to recycle its plastics and food waste. All food waste goes to local anaerobic digestion plants to turn waste into energy. It also has a partnership with FairShare Cymru, donating over 1 tonne of surplus pastries every month – the equivalent of 22,000 meals – which are distributed to local charities and community groups to combat hunger.

Peter’s Food Services Ltd was founded in the 1950s in Merthyr Tydfil, before moving to its Caerphilly head office and manufacturing site in 1975. It now employs 550 members of staff and has a range of well-loved pastries, sausage rolls and pies, including its new range of Epic Rolls – sausage rolls with a modern twist, including hot dog, cheeseburger and onion bhaji flavours.