MP hails job success at SWEEEP plant

Mr Henderson, who is MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey attended an anniversary celebration at the plant in Sittingbourne last week. He said: “I am delighted to join with the management and staff of SWEEEP Kuusakoski in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the recycling plant’s opening. It seems like only yesterday that I was privileged to be able to witness the new machinery that had been installed. SWEEEP is one of Sittingbourne’s employment success stories and I am proud to have been able to give the company my support during my time as Member of Parliament.”

The WEEE recycling plant originated with an initial investment by Pam and Patrick Watts of £5 million and the company said that today it is “one of the most sophisticated and environmentally robust recycling facilities in Europe.”

Staff

With 40 staff in July 2007, SWEEEP Kuusakoski now employ 170 full-time.

Cllr Colin Prescott, mayor of the Borough of Swale presented long service awards to Fraser Daniels, Justin Greenaway, Diane Judd and Paul Strickland who have given 10 year’s service to the organisation saying “It is a pleasure to be here and help celebrate the 10^th anniversary of this excellent company.  This is just the sort of business that swale needs; innovative, environmentally aware for the 21^st century and forward looking with excellent management”

Patrick Watts founder of the company, said “It’s 10 years since the introduction of the WEEE directive in the UK and 10 years of SWEEEP leading the way on best available treatment, compliance and efficiency. Our dedicated team has grown, as have our skills, to recycle this ever growing hazardous waste stream that returns so much back into new products.

WEEE directive

SWEEEP commercial manager, Justin Greenaway, told letsrecycle.com: “In the past 10 years we have grown from a brand new empty plant to recycling over 20% of small WEEE and 10% of display sourced from the UK DCF networks. Our recycling continues to be powered by 100% renewable energy and any non-recyclable content goes to waste to energy.”

Mr Greenaway explained that the implementation of the WEEE directive 10 years ago was the driver for SWEEEP being started and with the UK to leave the EU, he called for strong recycling targets after Brexit.

He said: “Strong and stable waste legislation gave confidence for long term infrastructure investment. Now, as the UK prepares to exit the EU, a version of the WEEE directive will be adopted into UK legislation. Recycling quality and targets will be down to the UK government to implement and then measure their own success against self-imposed domestic targets. It is imperative that the recycling industry is supported by strong recycling targets that don’t allow our established environmental standards to be eroded.”