Shopping Centre picks up environmental award

The Green Apple presentation

The Rochdale Exchange has been presented with a Gold Green Apple Retail Award in recognition of its Waste Minimisation environmental project.

The trophy was presented to Centre Manager Lorenzo O'Reilly by top botanist and TV personality Professor David Bellamy OBE and Warren Edmondson of Nettoyer Media, aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh earlier this month.

The Green Apple Awards for Retail and Wholesale are a new awards scheme from The Green Organisation, who have been recognising and rewarding environmental best practice for 16 years.

The judge commented: "All too often cost cutting leads to compromising ideals and ambitions. Time and again this has shown to be detrimental to long-term savings. Rochdale never took the risk.

"An ambitious programme of waste reduction measures with considerable investment in time and money has led to savings in the first year. These savings will continue and improve as the systems stabilise and their experience grows, and the benefits shared with their clients through reduced overheads."

The award winning project was one of hundreds put before the judges.

National Organiser Roger Wolens commented: "Organisations that go the extra mile and become Green Heroes are demonstrating a serious commitment to the world around them. They invest in a better future for us all and deserve to be recognised for their efforts."