Harrys Cleaners ??? Recycling & Sustainability Commitment

Harrys Cleaners is committed to practical, measurable steps that reduce waste, lower carbon, and support our local communities. In everything from our dry cleaning operations to our pickup and delivery services we prioritise circular practices. This page explains our recycling percentage target, how we work with local transfer stations, our charitable partnerships that give textiles a second life, and the transition to low-carbon vans to shrink our transport footprint. We use Harry's Cleaners, Harrys Dry Cleaning and related names across our communications to reflect the full scope of services covered by these sustainability efforts.

Our Recycling Percentage Target

We have set clear, time-bound goals. Our headline objective is a minimum 85% textile recovery and reuse rate by the end of 2028, and a 70% overall waste recycling rate across all operational sites in the same period. These targets cover fabrics, hangers, packaging, and general business waste streams. They are ambitious but achievable: by measuring materials that are repaired, donated, recycled into fibres, or repurposed locally, Harrys Laundry and our dry cleaning teams can track improvement and report progress annually.

Working with Local Transfer Stations and Borough Waste Systems

To reach these targets we collaborate closely with local transfer stations and borough waste services. Our collection routes are coordinated so that textiles and associated recyclables are delivered directly to appropriate facilities rather than general waste streams. In boroughs where separate textiles collection schemes operate, we make use of public textile banks and borough-led separation programmes to ensure materials are handled correctly.

• Textile banks and civic amenity sites: where available we direct clothing and linens for sorted reuse and fibre recovery.
• Hanger recycling schemes: reusable hangers are sterilised and cycled back into service; damaged hangers are sent to metal or plastic recyclers depending on material.
• Packaging separation: polybags and cardboard are separated at our depots, with cardboard baled for paper recycling and film plastics directed to specialist processors.

Local approaches to waste separation

Different boroughs apply varied waste separation approaches ??? some adopt source-separated collections (paper, glass, plastics, food), while others combine certain dry recyclables for sorting at materials recovery facilities. We align our sorting standards with each borough's rules so that nothing intended for recycling is inadvertently contaminated. Harrys Dry Cleaners teams receive training on how to segregate items correctly for transfer station acceptance.

Partnerships with Charities and Community Groups

Harry's Cleaners partners with local charities, social enterprises and textile reuse organisations to give garments and household linens a second life. Rather than sending quality items to incineration or landfill, we sort, clean and redistribute where appropriate. Charity partners collect clothing for resale in local shops, for emergency relief, or for skills and employment programmes that support vulnerable people in our communities.

How donations and reuse work in practice

Items suitable for reuse are identified at depot-level by trained sorting teams. We prioritise:

• Resale-ready garments and household textiles transferred to charity partners
• Items that can be repaired or altered passed to social enterprises for refurbishment
• Textiles at end-of-life sent to certified textile recyclers who reclaim fibres for insulation, stuffing and industrial wiping cloths

These routes ensure the highest-value outcome for each item ??? reuse first, recycling second ??? reducing environmental impact while supporting local economies. Our partnerships are audited regularly to ensure ethical processing and traceability from pickup to final destination.

Low-Carbon Vans and Efficient Logistics

Transport is a major component of the laundry and dry cleaning carbon footprint. To address this, Harrys Cleaners is investing in low-emission vehicles and smarter routing. Our fleet renewal plan includes electric vans and hybrid models, charged with renewable energy where possible. Route optimisation software reduces mileage and idling time, and consolidated drop-off points further lower emissions per item cleaned.

We have set a clear ambition: transition at least 60% of our operational fleet to low- or zero-emission vehicles by 2027, with ongoing increases thereafter. These changes work alongside our recycling targets: fewer emissions in transport and higher diversion of textiles from landfill both count towards our sustainability KPI dashboard.

Measurement, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

Monitoring is central to our approach. Every depot submits monthly weights for materials diverted to reuse, recycling or energy recovery, and we compare these against total throughput to calculate our live recycling percentage. We publish an annual sustainability summary that details progress against the 85% textile recovery and 70% overall recycling targets, operational emissions, and the status of fleet electrification. Harrys Cleaners uses these insights to continually refine processes ??? from better sorting protocols to expanded charity partnerships and further investments in low-carbon logistics.

In short, Harrys Cleaners, Harrys Laundry and our allied services are pursuing a practical, accountable route to circularity. By combining ambitious recycling percentage targets, formal links with local transfer stations, strategic charity partnerships, and a shift to low-carbon vans, we aim to reduce waste, help communities and lower our carbon footprint ??? creating a cleaner, more sustainable local service for everyone.