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The Gallery follows the principles of the Waste Hierarchy to prioritise reducing, reusing and recycling our waste materials. 

We are zero waste to landfill. Any non-recyclable material is incinerated at an Energy from Waste facility which generates power for London homes and businesses. Metals are recovered and residual ash is used for aggregate in roads and construction. Food waste from public and staff kitchens is collected and sent for anaerobic digestion where microbes feed on the waste creating biogas for energy. This process also creates a fertiliser for crops, ensuring nutrients return to the earth.  

We have several recycling streams in operation at the Gallery which has helped us increase our recycling rate from 50% in 2018 to 80% in 2025. These streams include cardboard, glass, coffee cups, batteries, electrical equipment, printer cartridges, clothes, textiles, and mixed recycling. 

We carry out waste audits to understand where improvements can be made in our waste streams and opportunities for additional recycling to be implemented. 

Where possible crockery is used in our food and beverage facilities, but we have recycling bins specifically for disposable coffee cups in our staff canteen and the public Espresso Bar. Disposable coffee cups can’t be recycled with standard mixed recycling because they have a plastic lining which makes them waterproof. Instead, they need to be disposed of in a separate bin and sent to a plant that can process them. This ensures we can keep these materials in circulation and useful for longer. 

Where possible we reuse furniture and equipment within the Gallery. Anything we can’t reuse is collected by our reuse partner and redistributed to local schools and charities.