The honours, announced at the weekend to mark Her Majesty the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations, went to figures in both the local authority sector and the community recycling sector.
Those named as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) included Michael Croxford, formerly of Newport Wastesavers, Eric Randall of Bryson House Recycling and Ken Forbes – director of environmental services at Banbridge district council.
A further MBE award went to Robert Tyldesley, an entrepreneur who has started a company making roof tiles from recycled plastics in Ukraine.
Croxford
Michael Croxford said he was “gobsmacked” on hearing of the award for services to the environment in Wales, but said his award paid tribute to all those working at the community recycling group Newport Waste Savers.
One of the most successful providers of kerbside recycling services in Wales, the group has achieved a 90% participation rate for its recycling services. Mr Croxford left Newport Waste Savers in April to work on the Cleanstream project in a bid to repeat Newport Waste Savers' success elsewhere in Wales.
He explained: “The success of Newport Waste Savers has illustrated the need for it to be duplicated in other parts of Wales, Cleanstream will work with other local authorities to set up kerbside collections.”
Mal Williams, chief executive of Cylch, the Wales Community Recycling Network, congratulated Mr Croxford with praise for the 30 years of dedication to the community recycling sector in Wales.
Mr Williams said: “Mike has always followed his dream of creating a designed recycling system that we now call Cleanstream, and the Cleanstream Resource Centre in Newport is a monument to those ideas, bringing the maximum community benefit from collecting and selling valuable secondary materials.”
Forbes
Mr Forbes was awarded the MBE for services to local government in Northern Ireland after 42 years at Banbridge district council.
 Ken Forbes MBE |
As director of environmental services, his leadership has seen the district becoming one of the leading authorities on waste management and recycling, meeting its targets ahead of schedule.
Mr Forbes has also been a key figure in the development of the waste management strategy for the Southern Waste Management Partnership (SWAMP) of Northern Ireland councils, and is currently chairman of its officer group.
Congratulating Mr Forbes, Banbridge council chief executive Robert Gilmore said: “On behalf of all Council officers and staff, I would like to congratulate Ken on receiving this prestigious honour because he really deserves it. Over the years, he has remained committed in his efforts to develop and implement a successful waste management strategy for the Banbridge District and create a sustainable environment for people living in the local area.”
Randall
Eric Randall was awarded his MBE for services to waste management in Northern Ireland as director of recycling for Bryson House Recycling.
Bryson began recycling in 1993, and after winning a number of major local government contracts in recent years now processes over 60% of household recyclables collected at the kerbside in Northern Ireland.
 Eric Randall MBE |
Commenting on the award Eric Randall, said: “I am delighted to have received this award, and am very proud of the contribution Bryson Recycling has made to recycling in Northern Ireland. It also brings recognition to the role of social enterprises in delivering recycling services.”
The organisation collects from residents in Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, and Newtownabbey, as well as providing recycling services for some businesses and schools.
Tyldesley
Businessman Robert Tyldesley has been awarded an MBE for services to waste management, the environment and the local community in the Ukraine.
His company, Britannica JV, specialises in making resin-bonded roof tiles made from recycled materials including waste plastic.
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As well as helping to refurbish crumbling houses in deprived areas in Ukraine – houses that often have roofs made from asbestos – Mr Tyldesley's company has been demonstrating uses for material that would otherwise end up in landfill sites.
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