EXCLUSIVE: Chris White to leave Aylesford Newsprint

Mr White's departure from Aylesford, which is understood to have been planned and agreed, is expected to see him remain involved with recycling in connection with the development of a food-grade plastics recycling business.

I am moving to an exciting new opportunity 

 
Chris White, commercial manager, Aylesford Newsprint

“I have enjoyed my 40 years within the paper sector and I am looking forward to moving on to pastures new,” he told letsrecycle.com. “I am moving to an exciting new opportunity but will stay in touch with the paper sector.”

And, he reflected how the newsprint sector – Aylesford produces 400,000 tonnes of recycled material per annum – “has gone full circle”.

Mr White, 60, explained: “If you look back to the 1960s that was a time of contraction within the sector. Then we saw a growth in the industry but now it is starting to contract again.”

After his departure from Aylesford, Mr White is expected to say more about his work in the plastics sector. However, it is thought he will still live in Kent, where he is also chairman of the Gillingham Football Club Supporters Trust, and travel to the plastics development, which is some distance away.

A long advocate of the source separation of material at the kerbside – or for very high quality sorting at materials recycling facilities – Mr White has, in recent years, become well known for his views on quality.

Campaign

He has also been involved in the Campaign for Real Recycling which has lately promoted work by the Waste & Resources Action Programme that found in favour of kerbside separation of materials.

Mr White's departure from Aylesford comes at a time when the newsprint sector is seeing some turmoil. Of the three established UK mills, AbitibiBowater's plant at Ellesmere Port is facing closure (see letsrecycle.com story) while Aylesford and UPM Shotton are both grappling with relatively high raw material costs and price pressure from newsprint buyers.

At the same time, Palm Paper's mill in King's Lynn is gathering momentum with trials well underway and substantial volumes of paper being used by UK newspaper publishers including News International.