Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has collected a record number of plastic containers in its annual Tub2Pub recycling initiative for the fifth year running.
The polypropylene sweets and crackers tubs cannot be easily recycled in kerbside collections so people were invited to drop them off at their local Greene King pub to save them from landfill and, at the same time, raise money for charity.
This year’s Tub2Pub, which ran from January to mid-February, collected over 240,000 tubs, equating to 27,990kg tonnes of plastic. This is more than all previous years’ collections combined. Proceeds from the sale of the recycled plastic granules has raised £10,916.10 for Macmillan Cancer Support, Greene King’s charity partner.
Each year, more and more individuals, schools, community groups and businesses throughout the country have collected the plastic tubs left over from Christmas and new year celebrations for Tub2Pub.
Highlights from this year’s campaign include 2,500 tubs collected by Teddy, a six-year-old boy from Hampshire. His desire to ‘save the planet’ sparked a large media interest and his story was documented and broadcast on BBC TV and online news stories, being shared as far afield as the southern hemisphere on Yahoo Australia. Teddy visited the recycling plant to see tubs being shredded and then the plastic used to make furniture. He was then given a surprise presentation of a buddy bench made from recycled tubs for his school.
Tub2Pub shows how Greene King is embedding more sustainable ways of working across its business through Greene King for Good, its environment and social programme, supporting its communities and reducing environmental impact.
Working with co-cre8 and DCW Polymers, Vance Fairman-Smith, Greene King’s group supply chain director, said: “What a year this has been. The 2025 total of 27,990kg and 240,000 tubs exceeds all previous years’ collections combined, a remarkable accomplishment!
“These results show what can be achieved when businesses and communities work together. Huge thanks to everyone who has collected these tubs and taken them to their local pub. The beauty of Tub2Pub is its simplicity. Don’t put the tub in the rubbish bin, just take it to your local and you’re doing your bit for the planet and people. Teddy alone has shown us all what can be achieved!”
Georgia Harlow, co-cre8’s sales and marketing manager said: “We are truly overwhelmed by the incredible support from communities across the UK in this year’s Tub2Pub! It’s such a fantastic example of the power of collective action in creating real environmental change – transforming ‘trash into treasure’, by creating new products and raising vital funds for Macmillan. A huge thank you to everyone who took their tubs to the pubs!”
Kate Lightfoot, Macmillan Cancer Support’s senior partnership development manager said: “Who knew empty sweet tubs could be so powerful? Tub2Pub is a brilliant, quirky way to bring people together, and raise money for Macmillan. Thank you to everyone who took their tubs into Greene King pubs, this is quite possibly the ‘sweetest’ recycling drive ever. And we mustn’t forget the serious message behind it: responsible recycling and vital support for the almost 3.5 million people living with cancer across the UK. Every tub represents not only a step towards a more sustainable future, but also a tangible contribution to Macmillan’s work. Our partnership with Greene King continues to make a real difference and proves that activity like Tub2Pub harnesses a powerful wave of positive change.”
To date, Tub2Pub has saved over 470,000 tubs from landfill and raised £34,824.90 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Look out for news of Tub2Pub 2026 later this year.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 40,000 people across the group with three divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands & Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs: Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”. Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs.
- Destination Brands & Ventures: Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions. Venture includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels which operate autonomously of Greene King’s managed pub brands.
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Greene King is embedding more sustainable ways of working across all aspects of its business through an environment and social strategy, supporting our communities and reducing environmental impact. It has publicly committed to reach net zero by 2040 and had its near-term target to halve all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Through its Greene King for Good programme, it is working collaboratively with suppliers and businesses, making operational improvements and offering customers sustainable choices.
Contact: Greene King Press Office, PressOffice@greeneking.co.uk
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