Judges

Our judges bring together respected experts and industry figures who dedicate significant time and expertise to assess hundreds of entries against rigorous criteria. Each submission is carefully scored to ensure the very best entries are recognised in line with the criteria of that award.

The 2026 judging panel will be announced shortly.

Judging process

The National Recycling Awards employs a rigorous judging process to determine winning entries. Each category has its own independent panel of expert judges, made up of leading industry specialists.

There is a two-stage judging process. In the first round, in order to be in with a chance of being shortlisted, you MUST answer all the questions on the entry form.

The shortlist will be notified on 4 September 2026.

To ensure a fair and transparent process, no one judges a category in which they have a vested or conflict of interest.

All judging takes place under Chatham House Rule and all judges sign an NDA.

Key Dates

Entry deadline
First round of judging
Shortlist notified
Shortlist announced to the industry
Second round of judging
Event date

What were you looking for in the work of the shortlist? What was important to you?

The biggest criterion for me in assessing the shortlist was impact. I was looking for entries which pushed resources as high up the waste hierarchy as possible and which delivered the biggest environmental and wider benefits.

JUDGE: Jacob Hayler, Executive Director, Environmental Services Association

What were you looking for in the work of the shortlist? What was important to you?

Given that Polytag itself is into innovation and new recycling technology, it was really important for me to see businesses that were step changing and moving towards a future where there is more recycling, better recycling, particularly leveraging technologies that help achieve those great heights.

JUDGE: Alice Rackley, chief executive, Polytag

How does the judging process add value to the awards?

I think the judging process is all about adding value because we’re adding that kind of quality verification, we’re checking are these things new? Are they delivering what they say their delivering? It’s a reality check, so I think without the judges, these awards would have a little less razzmatazz.

JUDGE: Adam Read, Chief Sustainability Officer, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK