Border Force and BIFFA: delivering social value through sustainable waste management
Updated 25 November 2025
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Border Force, in partnership with Biffa, has embedded social value into its contract for the disposal, destruction, and recycling of seized goods. The contract, valued at £25 million and running from November 2021 to October 2027, supports the Home Office’s commitment to fighting climate change and tackling economic inequality by increasing supply chain resilience and capacity.
Actions taken
- Developed a collaborative approach with Biffa to minimise waste and prioritise sustainable alternatives, such as anaerobic digestion over incineration.
- Established mutually agreed priorities for social value reporting, focusing on sustainability and compliance with forthcoming waste legislation.
- Supported supplier-led initiatives to explore alternative disposal routes, helping to mitigate future cost increases and reinforce sustainability as a core organisational priority.
- Achieved 52% SME spend against total contract spend in 2024.
Outcomes and impact
- Recycled over 3 million vapes, earning the National Recycling Award for Innovation and Excellence in Partnership Excellence – Public/Private Sector.
- Managed the environmentally responsible disposal of over 2,969 tonnes of waste:
- 1,764 tonnes reintegrated into the recycling economy
- 1,235 tonnes converted through waste to energy production
- Ensured 100% recycling of disposals, resulting in zero landfill impact.
- Implemented alternative disposal routes (e.g. composting, anaerobic digestion), reducing greenhouse gases and saving an approximate £200,000.
- Each tonne of seized organic material now generates 450 kWh of energy, contributing directly to the grid. With an average UK home using around 9 kWh per day, the energy recovered to date equates to powering approximately 61,750 homes.
- Tobacco waste alignment saved approximately £350,000 per annum.
- Delivered circa £1million in public savings.
- Future plans include transitioning bio-organic matter to a 100% recycled process and aiming for a 50% reduction in total CO₂ emissions.
Challenges and solutions
- Faced legislative uncertainty, rising landfill tax, stagnant recycling rates, and the absence of formal KPIs for social value reporting.
- Addressed these challenges through collaborative planning with Biffa, a recovery-centric strategy focused on recycling and energy recovery, aligned reporting using mutually agreed metrics, and policy engagement to support carbon hierarchy and advocate for recycling infrastructure investment.
Through proactive collaboration, Border Force and Biffa have strengthened compliance readiness, delivered measurable environmental and social benefits, and positioned themselves as leaders in sustainable waste management.