Recycling & Engagement Manager - Heathrow Airport

Biffa Waste Services; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Heathrow Airport seeks a Recycling & Engagement Manager to lead business engagement and recycling initiatives across the airport's multi-occupier community. The role blends technical waste expertise with superb communication to influence behaviours and deliver measurable improvements.

Based full-time at Heathrow, you will develop action plans, educate businesses and collaborate with Biffa colleagues to achieve the 70% recycling target while ensuring practical, safe and commercially viable

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in waste management or recycling.
• Experience conducting waste audits and improvement planning.
• Strong knowledge of waste segregation and recycling processes.
• Familiar with UK waste legislation and compliance.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive recycling improvements to support Heathrow's 70% ambition.
• Engage airport retailers, hospitality operators and airlines.
• Conduct waste audits and identify improvement opportunities.
• Develop tailored recycling action plans for segregation and collections.
• Deliver trainings and awareness campaigns to businesses and staff.
• Collaborate with operational teams to ensure practical solutions.
• Measure progress and report results to Heathrow and Biffa.

Skills

Waste management

Waste audits

Waste segregation

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Presentation skills

UK waste legislation

Job description

Recycling & Engagement Manager – Heathrow Airport

Help Shape the Future of Recycling at Heathrow Airport!

Are you an experienced recycling and waste management professional with a passion for engaging people, influencing change and delivering real environmental results?

At Biffa, we're looking for an enthusiastic and commercially minded Recycling & Engagement Manager to help drive Heathrow Airport's ambition to achieve 70% recycling.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with retailers, hospitality operators, airlines and other airport businesses, identifying innovative recycling solutions and making a measurable environmental impact.

The Role

Based full-time at Heathrow Airport, you'll lead business engagement and recycling improvement initiatives across the airport's diverse commercial community.

Combining technical waste expertise with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, you'll assess waste streams, identify opportunities and develop practical solutions that improve recycling performance.

This is a proactive, hands-on role where you'll have the opportunity to influence businesses, inspire behavioural change and deliver meaningful results.

What You'll Be Doing

• Driving recycling improvements: Develop and deliver initiatives supporting Heathrow's 70% recycling ambition.
• Engaging stakeholders: Build strong relationships with airport retailers, hospitality operators, airlines and other businesses to encourage participation and lasting change.
• Conducting waste audits: Assess waste streams, contamination levels and recycling performance to identify improvement opportunities.
• Developing solutions: Create tailored recycling action plans, recommending practical improvements to segregation, collections and resource efficiency.
• Educating and inspiring: Deliver engaging presentations, training and awareness campaigns to businesses, employees and contractors.
• Collaborating with operational teams: Work closely with Biffa colleagues to ensure recycling solutions are practical, safe and commercially viable.
• Measuring success: Track progress, report on recycling improvements and share results with Heathrow and Biffa stakeholders.

About You

We're looking for a confident, energetic and solutions-focused individual who combines technical recycling knowledge with the ability to engage and influence people at all levels.

You'll bring:

• A minimum of 5 years' experience in waste management, recycling or resource recovery.
• Proven experience conducting waste audits and developing practical recycling improvement plans.
• Strong knowledge of waste segregation, recycling processes, contamination management and relevant UK waste legislation.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The confidence to influence decision-makers and inspire positive behavioural change.
• Strong organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive and commercially aware approach.

Experience within airports, transport hubs or complex multi-occupier environments, alongside relevant environmental qualifications or CIWM membership, would be advantageous.

Biffa – we’re changing the way people think about waste

At Biffa, we love working with waste. Whether we’re turning it into sustainable power, finding new ways to recycle it or simply keeping it off the streets, we believe every day is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions. It’s a view that’s shared by our 11,000+ people around the country, who trust us to provide them with a career that’s always rewarding, often challenging, but never dull.

We believe different ideas, perspective and backgrounds are key to developing a creative and effective working environment which is why you’ll find us championing diversity and equality at every turn.