Bryson started recycling in 1993 with its ‘Cash for Cans’ scheme which was operated by three Government funded trainees. The company now reports to be one of the largest social enterprise recyclers in the UK, employing over 280 staff.
Based in Newtonabbey, as part of social enterprise the Bryson Charitable Group, Bryson Recycling’s service uses kerbside-sort vehicles and wheelie boxes, to collect a wide range of recyclables whilst maintaining their quality. It also operates a materials recycling facility (MRF) which processes recyclables.
The company, delivers a wide range of recycling services across Northern Ireland, Donegal and Wales, and reports to have recycled over 675,000 tonnes of materials during its 25 years in business.
Recycling trends
And, Bryson Recycling notes that there have been “many changes” in the types of waste that households recycle over that time. The most recent trend has been an increase in plastics and in the last year, the firm said it has processed over 212 million plastic items.
Speaking at the company’s 25th anniversary event last week, Eric Randall, director at Bryson Recycling said: “This year we have experienced a huge increase in the number of plastic items across our recycling services; we are now processing an extra 200,000 plastic items each day at our Mallusk site.
“This increased awareness about plastics, largely due to the shocking images showing the impact of plastics in our seas in David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, has encouraged people to recycle more and offered us the opportunity to boost recycling rates.”
Bryson Recycling also reports to have “championed” the local circular economy approach to recycling in Northern Ireland, with over 80% of materials collected going to local reprocessing companies, which sustains around 1,000 jobs locally.
Materials collected by Bryson go to some of Northern Ireland’s “industry leaders” including Huhtamaki, Cherry Pipes and Encirc for reprocess, the company says.
‘Quality’
Mr Randall continued: “The simple reality is that waste impacts everyone and the environment. Our model ensures good environmental outcomes by ensuring that goods are recycled locally, livelihoods are supported and the economy continues to grow.
“The future of recycling must focus on the quality of material collected and their local economic value,” he said. “We are confident recycling will be taken to the next level and Bryson will continue to champion and shape the local circular economy model”.
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