• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Monday January 8 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Turnover at electronic waste recycling firm iWaste up 35 per cent

Electronic waste recycling specialist Intelligent Waste Management Ltd (iWaste) has reported a 35 per cent year-on-year increase in turnover as the business continues to grow.

The Reading-based company is also investing heavily in infrastructure, vans, people and a new bespoke, cloud-based management portal which has driven an ambitious move to a paperless operation.

This comes in a year in which iWaste, which employs 35 people, also celebrated its 10th anniversary and moved to bigger premises outside Reading to facilitate strategic business growth.

iWaste provides electronic waste collection services, secure data destruction, electronic recycling equipment and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) disposal for corporations, public sector organisations and businesses across the UK.

Director Sam Prentice said “We have come a long way from our beginnings 10 years ago. We are a growing concern, gaining market share, discovering new revenue sources and continuing to move in an upward trajectory and remain ahead of our growth target.

“We have put a great deal of time, effort and investment into growing the business and we are now seeing this come to fruition, thanks in a huge part to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in iWaste.

“But we are not resting on our laurels and there is much hard work ahead as we strive to achieve our aspirational plans of being the leaders in our field and the go-to company for all aspects of electronic waste management.

“We are very much a problem-solving company and clients turn to us because although we may not be the cheapest we get all aspects of any job done quickly and methodically to their satisfaction.

“The expansion of the 15,000 sq ft new site at Arborfield Cross last April has also been key to our 35 per cent increase in turnover and it has completely re-energised the business.”

iWaste occupies a 15,000 sq ft unit at the Ducks Nest Farm commercial estate in a rural setting three miles south east of Reading, with potential to scale up.

The premises has 24-hour security, a detached warehouse building, a one-third acre yard and easy motorway access for HGVs and vans via the nearby M4.

The company also has a regional, northern depot in Preston, Lancashire.

Operations director Sam Mountain, who co-founded the business in 2013, added: “We have invested heavily, around £250,000, across the business, particularly in becoming a paperless operation and we have a bespoke and unique portal – designed and engineered internally – which has automated the business effectively.

“We have pushed forward with new vans, increased staff numbers, facilities, training, and improved processes and streamlining which enhances efficiency and provides our customers and future customers with a second-to-none service.

“In our sector there are a lot of people doing a similar thing and you have to stand out to make progress – the elements we have put in place will enable us to do this with our experienced staff, competitive pricing, better turnaround times, strict compliancy and environmental credentials.”

iWaste has B Corp certification, known as the gold standard for sustainability, which measures a business’s entire social and environmental impact, is awarded by global non-profit network B Lab and is held by just 6,300 companies worldwide.

The company, which appointed long-term advisor and experienced business leader Sue Warden-Owen as a non-executive director last year, also endeavours to boost the Berkshire economy by hiring staff locally whenever possible.

iWaste is AATF (Approved Authorised Treatment Facility) licensed by the Environment Agency, the highest accreditation in the waste industry. The company is also a trusted supplier to large national waste companies and facility management companies.

Latest: Reading expert gives evidence to MPs on e-waste mountain