CETC Groundworks Apprentices Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Recycling with L&S Waste

CETC Groundworks Apprentices at L&S Waste Management’s Portsdown Hill recycling facility with Assistant Operations Manager Jackson Brown.

Apprentices from Fareham College’s Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC) gained an eye-opening insight into the world of waste management, during a recent behind-the-scenes visit to L&S Waste Management’s recycling facility on Portsdown Hill.

The visit, organised by CETC’s Karen Butcher, saw 12 Groundworks Apprentices spend the day touring the busy L&S site, where they observed first-hand how construction and demolition waste is processed and recycled.

Led by Environmental Compliance Manager Jackson Brown, the group were shown how L&S handles, sorts, and recycles thousands of tonnes of waste every week, with an incredible 95% of all waste diverted from landfill. Students were taught about the importance of recycling both at work and at home, highlighting how even small behavioural changes can make a major difference to sustainability and resource conservation.

“It’s important for our apprentices to learn more about what happens to the waste they produce once they throw it in a skip,” said Karen Butcher.

“Most people don’t want to understand, or don’t care, but if they learn this now and see the impact they can have, they’ll carry that awareness throughout their whole careers. The more we can do as a college to help them understand and care about this, the more they’ll take with them once they move into full-time employment.”

The visit formed part of CETC’s ongoing commitment to sustainability education within the construction and civil engineering industries, ensuring that the next generation of professionals understand the environmental responsibilities that come with their work.

L&S Waste Management, one of the South’s leading independent waste operators, works closely with local training providers and colleges to support skills development and promote greener working practices across the region’s construction sector.

Jackson Brown, Assistant Operations Manager at L&S, added: “We were delighted to welcome the CETC apprentices to our site and show them exactly what happens once waste leaves a construction site. Recycling and waste segregation start at source, and visits like this really help to connect those dots, turning what could be a throwaway habit into a lifelong understanding of sustainability.”