AN EXPANDING waste management and recycling company in Rugby is planning for further growth in 2024 after a 70 per cent increase in its turnover in the last four years.
Clews Recycling, which was established in 1999, started life operating Household Waste Recycling Centres for local authorities but has expanded since 2007 and now focuses on its industrial and commercial customers.
The Hunters Lane business runs a fleet of ten HGV trucks and a waste transfer station which sorts through 25,000 tonnes of waste each year.
Clews Recycling has received support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub since 2015, receiving grants to buy machinery, recruitment and training.
Since 2019, the business has grown its turnover to nearly £5million and increased its workforce to 34 members of staff.
And plans are in the pipeline for a new baler to produce bale refuse derived fuel, solar panels on the roof to reduce energy costs, and a shredder for electrical equipment and computer hard-drives.
Managing Director Richard Clews said: “It can be difficult to raise finance for the plant and equipment in our sector. Having the Growth Hub’s support can make all the difference in securing that finance.
“We are currently training five of our staff from Ukraine to improve their English so that they can undergo forklift truck training, and another member of staff is studying for an NVQ level 4 in Waste Management.
“We have plans to continue to grow the business. I am sure all industries are the same, you have to continually evolve, try new things and not be scared to stop old business activities if they do not work.’’
Adam Plumb, Account Manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, said: “I have worked with Clews Recycling for the last three years with a number of interventions to help with machinery and equipment to recycle electrical goods.
“As businesses expand, there can sometimes be barriers to grow which is why the Growth Hub is here to provide advice and support to help every step of the way.”
Craig Humphrey, CEO of the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, added that they were contacted by firms for a number of reasons.
He said: “Clews Recycling is operating within a sector that is heavily legislated and Government and European directives that apply to the waste sector can sometimes be overbearing.
“It is gratifying to come back to a company that we have helped over multiple years to allow them to retain a competitive edge within a competitive sector.”
