Celebrating the North East Waste & Resources Sector: NERF Awards 2026 Shortlist Announced!

We're delighted to announce the shortlist for the NERF Awards 2026, celebrating the organisations, projects and individuals making a real difference across the North East waste and resources sector.

Following another year of fantastic entries, our judging panel has had the difficult task of reviewing initiatives that demonstrate innovation, commitment and positive impact across the region.

From finding creative ways to prevent waste and giving valuable resources a second life, to engaging communities and recognising the next generation of sector professionals, this year's entries showcase the breadth of work taking place across the North East.

We're incredibly pleased to recognise this year's shortlisted finalists!

Best Waste Minimisation

This award celebrates initiatives that are making a real difference by preventing waste, reducing unnecessary resource consumption and encouraging more sustainable practices.

2026 shortlisted finalists:

• Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

• Feeding Families & Gateshead Food Partnership

• Fareshare North East

• Bio Capital Ltd

Best Reuse Initiative

Recognising creative and practical approaches to keeping materials and products in use for longer, this award celebrates initiatives that are helping to build a more circular economy across the North East.

2026 shortlisted finalists:

• Foundations Furniture

• Northumbria University & NUFC

• RHWE Repair Café

• Renew North Tyneside

• Durham County Council

Best Campaign

This award recognises campaigns that have successfully raised awareness, engaged communities and inspired positive changes in attitudes and behaviours around waste, recycling and resource management.

2026 shortlisted finalists:

• Middlesbrough Council

• Karbon Homes

• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

• Community Nurdle Response

Newcomer of the Year

Our Newcomer of the Year Award celebrates emerging talent within the waste and resources sector, recognising individuals aged 35 and under who are already making an impact and demonstrating enthusiasm, fresh thinking and future potential.

2026 shortlisted finalists:

• Harry Tomlinson - GAP Group NE

• Nathan Lowrey - GAP Group NE

• Bernard Jacobson - Wasted NE

• Nathaniel Kitching - CDDFT Synchonicity Care Ltd

• Joe McKim - Biffa

Celebrating the people and projects making a difference

The NERF Awards are an opportunity to shine a light on the people, partnerships and organisations working every day to improve how we manage resources across the North East.

What makes these awards particularly special is the variety of initiatives represented. From smaller community-led projects to larger organisations delivering change at scale, every contribution plays a part in moving the sector forward.

We'd like to thank everyone who submitted an entry and took the time to share their work with us, as well as our judges from the North West Resources Forum Executive Team for their time and careful consideration.

Join us for the NERF Annual Conference & Awards

The winners will be announced at the NERF Annual Conference & Awards on Thursday 19th November 2026 at Newcastle Civic Centre.

This year's conference, DRS: From Policy to Practice, will bring together professionals from across the waste and resources sector to explore what the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme will mean for the industry as we approach October 2027.

Alongside the conference discussions, networking and exhibition, we'll be celebrating the achievements of this year's NERF Awards finalists and announcing our winners.

You can still book your free place to attend: https://nerfconference26.eventbrite.co.uk