Recycling Lives is celebrating the women delivering its rapid growth.
The recycling and waste management business, headquartered in Preston, Lancashire, has enjoyed significant growth in the last year, including a rise in sales by 47%, increasing its processing by 46% and growing its staff team by 23%.
It is bucking national trends for the waste sector with a growing number of women working across its operations – increasing by 221% since December 2016.
And women are leading two of the business’ fastest-growing departments.
Deena manages Skip Hire Network, an online platform offering skip hire services across the UK to householders and businesses; which has grown its customer base 130% year-on-year. She joined Recycling Lives as a business administration apprentice and has been promoted a number of times thanks to achievements including delivering the first profit for another of Recycling Lives’ online platforms.
Claire manages the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) team, which processes 7,000 ELVs each month ready for recycling; a figure increased by 46% in the last year. She has worked in departments across the business, and travels to Recycling Lives nine sites nationwide to teach new teams about operations. She said: “Recycling Lives has helped me develop massively. I’m completely proud of the company’s ethics and the growth already achieved.”
Other women challenging the norm in Recycling Lives include: Gemma, manager of its Red Scar waste processing facility; Jackie, a recycling operative; Evie, a yard operative; Tina, a crane driver; and Sonja, a wagon driver.
Claire Dallison, head of HR for Recycling Lives, said: “We’re proud to have a growing number of women across the Group, many of whom work in roles traditionally considered to be ‘men’s jobs’. Much more than just delivering incredible results for the business, they are challenging stereotypes and paving the way for many more women to move into skilled jobs with Recycling Lives and across the waste sector.”
Recycling Lives is an industry-leading recycling and waste management business, processing waste streams for clients including Wates Construction, BT and Sellafield Ltd. It processes scrap metal, scrap cars (ELVs), general waste and waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) across its nine sites nationwide, to increase recycle rates and diversion from landfill.
