In our latest Q&A, we are pleased to introduce Gabriella Zeal, who joined Andron six months ago as our Waste, Environment & Sustainability Manager, working across The Crown Estate’s Regent Street and St James’s portfolio, a diverse mix of retail, residential and commercial offices with multiple waste hubs across central London. Andron has been delivering cleaning, waste and sustainability services across the portfolio since 2022.
Gabriella brings with her experience in a PFM award-winning waste operation and a career that began in retail production in Hong Kong, where her understanding of the circular economy first took root. Her experience alongside the dedicated team already in place, whose culture of collaboration she describes as the thing that makes it stand out, has been a most welcome addition.
Here, she reflects on what drew her to Andron and the opportunity to work beyond waste management alone and into broader social responsibility and community engagement. She shares what she has found since arriving on The Crown Estate, from working and volunteering alongside the dedicated cleaners she describes as the backbone of the business, to building the one-to-one relationships with customers across the estate that turn compliance into genuine engagement.
She also talks through how she has worked with our Health and Safety team to streamline Waste Transfer Notes across The Crown Estate portfolio, the programme of seminars, pop-ups, beach clean-ups and volunteering planned for the year ahead, and why she believes the biggest opportunity for changing waste behaviour in the industry in 2026 lies in engagement and education as much as the processes and procedures behind them.
Talk us through your career to date and what led you to join Andron.
I’ve always had a passion for environmental sustainability and had my sight set on working in ESG after graduating university. While I was living in Hong Kong, I began my career in the retail industry, working as a merchandiser at a sourcing office with a focus on the production line. Although I gained a lot of useful experience and insights through this role, particularly in terms of the circular economy, I was eager to pursue my passion and transition into a role more closely focused on environmental sustainability.
Moving to the UK marked a decisive turning point in my determination to break into the ESG sector. I was able to land a job in the facilities management industry as a Waste & Recycling Manager at Chiswick Business Park. There, I led waste operations and worked on projects focused on waste reduction and recycling enhancement. My strategies were designed around shifting the emphasis from solely recycling rates to a comprehensive approach prioritising overall waste reduction. I wrote about my team’s work in a 2025 PFM award submission for the Partners in Waste Management category, which reflected our efforts to ensure operations ran efficiently, as well as the campaigns and engagement we led with all businesses on site, an achievement that secured our win.
Joining Andron presented new challenges and broader horizons, offering more responsibility across a larger portfolio and the chance to engage in wider sustainability initiatives beyond waste, including social responsibility and community engagement. This holistic approach resonated deeply with my values and professional aspirations.
Six months in, what’s been the biggest highlight or achievement so far?
The most rewarding aspect of my first six months at Andron has been the opportunity to give back to the community through volunteering, and the subsequent bonding experience that comes with it. Working alongside some of the most dedicated cleaners on the ground who are the backbone of the business has been inspiring. I would say that my biggest personal achievement so far has been my comprehension of the waste scheme and portfolio, and engagement with customers on The Crown Estate. Leading training sessions and one-to-one meetings has helped build trust and clarity around waste management and recycling practices, which has allowed me to be a reliable resource for both the team and customers.
You’re managing waste and sustainability across The Crown Estate – a complex, high-profile estate. What’s working really well in how the team delivers? How does it compare to what you’ve worked on previously?
Working on The Crown Estate’s diverse portfolio, which ranges from retail to commercial offices, presents unique sustainability challenges that require tailored solutions. The thing that works well in my opinion, and that makes the team stand out, is the strong culture of collaboration. With so many different aspects of waste to manage, I wouldn’t be able to deliver as comprehensive a job without the whole team, who are always ready to offer a helping hand. Having managed a waste team before, I understand the demands it can entail, so it’s truly inspiring to see how our team at The Crown Estate manages waste across a bustling central London portfolio with multiple waste hubs, working around the clock.
When you’re working with stakeholders across the estate, what matters most to them when it comes to waste and sustainability
Stakeholder priorities vary widely across The Crown Estate, influenced by industry, company size, and operational focus. Recycling rates persist as a priority for many customers, eager to increase their recycling rates through proper segregation of waste and reduced contamination. Particularly in commercial offices, maintaining clear, reliable communication channels is vital. I believe it’s important to foster an environment of trust and encourage proactive participation in sustainability efforts. Building this type of relationship with customers not only lets them know they can lean on you for support, but also helps embed environmental responsibility into daily operations, reflecting a shared commitment to positive change.
Waste and sustainability services are highly compliance-driven. How do you collaborate with other teams to ensure full compliance with policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements?
Compliance in waste services requires transparent communication and mutual trust within the team. I prioritise creating an environment where colleagues feel confident to seek guidance and share concerns, ensuring adherence to policies and regulatory standards.
Collaboration extends beyond our immediate team, engaging suppliers and customers to uphold regulatory frameworks, with the most recent being the Simpler Recycling Legislation. Through regular engagement sessions and consistent communication, we ensure alignment across all teams and service partners, delivering services that fully comply with these regulations. We also focus on educating customers about the legislation, providing them with the necessary support and appropriate infrastructure to facilitate compliance.
Additionally, I have collaborated with the Andron Health & Safety team to develop an internal system that streamlines the production of Waste Transfer Notes, enabling us to quickly generate and share updated documentation with stakeholders as needed.
How do Andron’s waste and sustainability services support and align with The Crown Estate’s wider ESG objectives?
Andron’s waste and sustainability services are aligned with The Crown Estate’s ESG goals, particularly their transition to net zero and decarbonisation targets. We work with suppliers who prioritise electric vehicles for waste collections and optimise routes to reduce transport emissions, minimising carbon emissions where possible. Our suppliers also operate under a zero waste to landfill policy, with general waste being safely incinerated and converted into energy. We also ensure to provide operatives with training to identify and reduce contamination in waste streams and collect accurate data.
This year, we are placing a heavier focus on engagement and influencing human behaviour, working with our suppliers and The Crown Estate to provide a multitude of events from seminars and pop-ups to beach clean ups and other volunteering opportunities. We want to provide customers with as much support as possible and empower them to actively participate in our efforts to protect the environment.
Where do you see the biggest opportunities to drive improvements over the next year?
When it comes to waste, you can do everything right operationally, but if human behaviour and mindset do not change, progress will remain limited. This is why I believe the biggest opportunity we have to drive improvement lies in enhancing engagement to influence human behaviour across the estate. My goal is to embed the mindset of the 5Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle in that order!). This offers a transformative framework that goes beyond recycling alone. By fostering awareness and practical actions aligned with these principles, we can drive meaningful reductions in waste generation and resource consumption. This behavioural shift, supported by education and collaboration, will be key to sustaining long-term environmental impact.
What does success look like for you and the team in 2026?
Success for me and the team in 2026 transcends traditional metrics like recycling rates. While recycling remains important, true sustainability embraces the full spectrum of the 5Rs, with recycling as the final step. Success means cultivating a culture where refusing unnecessary waste, reducing consumption, reusing materials, and repurposing resources are ingrained in daily practices. This holistic approach not only advances environmental goals but also reflects a deeper respect for the planet’s finite resources, embodying a sustainable future that is both responsible and regenerative.