Peter Jones, Biffa's director of external affairs, has been made an OBE as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List, for services to the environment.

Other awards announced this weekend saw recognition for local government and sustainable development work, including an MBE for former Forest Heath district council officer Ian Thompson. In Scotland there was an OBE for Julia Sturrock of Dundee city council and SEPA and an MBE for Jackie Agnew of reuse group HomeAid West Lothian.

Peter Jones

Seen as an influential thinker within the waste industry, Peter Jones has helped to raise the profile of both his company Biffa and the significance of waste management concerns, often appearing in the national media as well as taking concerns to the heart of government and Parliament.

Peter Jones OBE

He now becomes an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Mr Jones has consistently argued for waste policies to join up with policies on energy and climate change, taking a leading role in research initiatives that have helped shape the UK's waste strategies, including the Biffaward Mass Balance programme.

With more than 18 years' experience in waste management, he has also played an active role in Defra's new technologies programme, the government's Data Advisory Panel and the sustainable consumption and production taskforce. Last year, Mr Jones launched the Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network as its chair.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com today, Mr Jones said: "It might by my name on the certificate, but it's really a great honour for the waste industry and for Biffa, and shows that the industry's really arrived on the global stage. These ideas have been around for years, but recycling's now gone from the feasible and technological to the economic."

Mr Jones added that he looked forward to continuing to take part in the debate concerning waste management, "centred around carbon, global efficiency and climate change".  

Ian Thompson

Starting out in waste collection 40 years ago, Ian Thompson, 61, recently retired as Forest Heath district council's waste service manager.

With a leading role in the council's recycling services, Mr Thompson has helped the council to become one of the top 10 authorities in England for recycling - smashing its 30% household waste recycling target in 2005/06 with a 46% rate.

He now becomes a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to local government.

Julia Sturrock

A former English teacher, Julia Sturrock was a councillor in Dundee from 1988 to this year, leading the council from 1999 to 2003, with responsibility for the environment from 2003 until this year.

A member of SEPA East Board for nine years, Cllr Sturrock has chaired the Dundee Furniture Project, the Recycling Institute and is a board member of the International Resource and Recycling Institute. She was awarded an honorary fellowship of the CIWM in 2002, and has been a COSLA spokesperson for waste issues.

Jackie Agnew

Jackie Agnew, manager of HomeAid West Lothian, one of Scotland's community reuse organisations, was awarded an MBE for services to recycling in Scotland.

Jackie is a Trustee of the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) and has been manager of HomeAid West Lothian since 1996. Previously she was a volunteer for eleven years for a charity shop under Social Services furniture project.

On receiving the award Jackie said: "It's a great honour to get this and to be recognised, and proves the sector gets recognised for what we do. Hopefully it will make an impact on the local council as well, and get them to recognise our environmental side as well as our social purpose."

Speaking about the award the CRNS Chairperson, Matt Lewis, said: "This is a great honour for Jackie. One which she certainly deserves. She has transformed HomeAid West Lothian into one of Scotland's best community-based recycling projects and in doing so has inspired others. She has also ensured that her project has remained firmly part of the community, employing local people, offering volunteering opportunities and training."