Veolia’s community from across the country came together on Saturday to celebrate Pride and march for LGBTQIA+ colleagues. This year’s celebrations featured an all-electric clean up with a recycling rate of 82% - the highest of any Pride in London event.
Veolia proudly demonstrated its support for the LGBTQIA+ community by marching in Pride in London for the third year running. Colleagues marched alongside the company’s float, with Veolia’s dedicated Westminster crews cleaning up after over a million revellers throughout the parade to ensure the streets remained sparkling clean.
In a powerful display of solidarity, Veolia and Westminster City Council adorned a selection of their vehicles with vibrant Pride livery. This year, Veolia’s theme - ‘It Takes a Community’ - recognises the importance of diversity in achieving Ecological Transformation, and that all LGBTQIA+ and ally voices are needed in the drive towards a more equal and sustainable future.
This also fits perfectly with the wider Pride in London theme of #WeAreEverywhere; as Veolia operates its essential service everywhere, at the centre of communities across the city. The eye-catching vehicles, electric bikes, cage vans and barrows, will remain branded throughout the year, serving as a reminder of Veolia and Westminster City Council’s commitment to inclusion.
Once the last traces of glitter settled and the crowds dispersed, Veolia colleagues took to the streets once more with their rainbow branded fleet to ensure a smooth reopening of the roads. The crews diligently sorted through the parade remnants, separating recyclables before clearing general waste. This stringent process resulted in a recycling rate of 82% with 19 of the 23 tonnes of waste collected being diverted for recycling, whilst the remaining waste was sent for energy recovery. This exemplifies Veolia’s dedication to sustainability and ecological transformation.
Pascal Hauret, Municipal Managing Director at Veolia said :
“Veolia's presence at Pride in London demonstrates our commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and supported. We are proud to be such a visible and essential service in the City which is why our participation and rainbow-branded vehicles are so important, serving as a visible reminder of our values and proving that we show up for all the communities we serve.”
“In partnership with Westminster City Council, Pride in London represents our second-largest annual clean-up operation. Despite logistical challenges, we're proud to have achieved record recycling levels at this year's event, showcasing our commitment to ecological transformation while serving the community.”
