Development agency boosts recycling in the South East

Wood recycler the Woodhorn Group in West Sussex, automotive plastics recycler PPR Wipag in Dover, and Brighton Community Compost, are among those to have received the shared funds of 500,000 – enabling them to buy new recycling equipment.

”There is a huge need for this kind of thing in the South East and this is just the start. There has already been a verbal agreement with SEEDA to continue the initiative for the next two years.“
Christina Petrides
It is hoped The Invest in Recycling scheme, which was administered by environmental-technologies development organisation, Envirobusiness, will increase the firms' recycling capacity by at least 40% over three years.

It will enable the Woodhorn Group to buy a waste wood shredder and screening equipment, which should boost its recycling capacity from 1,000 tonnes a year, this year, to 11,000 tonnes in three years time – an increase of more than tenfold.

And PPR Wipag will be able to scale up its specialised operation to recycle plastics from end of life vehicles.

Tom Fourcade, Envirobusiness chief executive and former WRAP wood specialist, said: “We are delighted to have helped businesses to secure new funding to the benefit of the economy and the environment in South East England.”

John Pitts, MD for the Woodhorn Group, said: “More and more businesses in the South East are seeking to meet their environmental obligations by recycling their wood waste but many have become frustrated by the lack of available facilities. This new investment will address this problem and enable a significant increase in recycling rates in this area.”

Tender


Envirobusiness, which was launched in September 2006, launched the Invest in Recycling Initiative as a competitive tender exercise last autumn.

The not-for-profit organisation received 30 expressions of interest from all over the UK and Europe and assessed the applicants based on the economic viability and technical feasibility of their plans.

Christina Petrides, partnerships and projects manager for Envirobusiness, said: “There is a huge need for this kind of thing in the South East and this is just the start. There has already been a verbal agreement with SEEDA to continue the initiative for the next two years.”