South African investin recycling company

The group, which has taken ownership of Ringsend-based Coleraine Skip Hire and Recycling Limited, is expanding the operation to include a world-class recycling centre, which includes a state-of-the-art transfer station.

The full service product recovery and waste management facility will enable public and private sector organisations across Northern Ireland to successfully manage waste, with the company bidding to reduce waste-to-landfill by up to 80% in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to the Times, Brett Ross, Managing Director of RiverRidge Recycling, originally from Zimbabwe, (pictured) said: “We are no strangers to the shores of Ireland but this is the first time that we’ve invested in Northern Ireland. It was an easy decision in that it is a strong market and we see great opportunity for growth.

“The government has set ambitious targets to both reduce landfill and to diversify our fuel sources. We believe we can help local organisations including councils and schools that are looking for a simple and efficient way to improve recycling performance, achieve environmental compliance and control costs.

“Northern Ireland will be able to benefit from our cutting-edge technology, which not only reduces the unnecessary use of landfill sites but also recycles said unwanted items.

“We focus upon recovering and recycling as much of the waste we process with a total commitment to diverting waste away from landfill. We are already engaging with a number of companies to offer them a cost-effective commercial waste bin removal. We will assist companies to divert waste from landfill. It is the right thing to do and it is important for the environment.

“To date, we’ve invested heavily in Northern Ireland and the local community. The majority of our suppliers and employees are all from the local community. It is important to us that the community see what we are doing and that it will have a positive effect on the local economy, through job creation and reducing waste.”

This is only the first phase of a long-term strategy for growth, which has already seen the current workforce grow to 32, with further plans for recruitment. RiverRidge Recycling intends to work with councils and companies in order to dispose of their commercial waste.