Ms Gregory has purchased an 8,000, secondhand vehicle to run her own residual waste collections because local council Telford & Wrekin had switched its service to alternate weeks with a new recycling service.
The new Telford service run by Ms Gregory picks up two bags of black bag waste for 3 a week, but does not recycle the material.
Ms Gregory had been hoping for a 2,000 grant from the Prince's Trust to support her venture, but the Trust has now decided against the grant. A spokeswoman for the Trust explained that the grant had been sought under the Trust's programme for young people, and that it had decided that the Telford group did not qualify under its remit.
The spokeswoman told letsrecycle.com: “The Prince’s Trust helps thousands of young people, every year, to start up in business. The youth charity provides business start up loans and grants to young people aged 18 – 30.
“Mandy Gregory originally intended to start up her waste collection service as a sole trader, but has since taken on business partners over the age of 30. The Trust has helped Mandy to explore her business idea but, due to the age of her partners, she has now been advised that she does not qualify for a start up loan,” she added.
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