A business minister has praised Recycling Lives “inspirational” work.
Lord Henley, a parliamentary lead for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, visited the business’ Recycling Park to learn about its unique social business model.
The visit, on October 18, took in the 15-acre site’s waste management and recycling operations, seeing how it processes 17,000 tonnes of scrap metals and scrap cars through its industry-leading machinery each month and is developing Energy From Waste technologies.
The parliamentary under-secretary also learned how Recycling Lives uses its commercial operations to support and sustain three social programmes rehabilitating offenders, supporting the homeless and redistributing food.
The Conservative peer last visited Recycling Lives in 2011, touring its residential charity in the centre of Preston and meeting with leaders to hear about its ambitious plans for growth and impact – all of which have since been realised.
Lord Henley, a Conservative MP, said: “It was a pleasure to return to Recycling Lives today after I first visited in 2011 as a recycling minister. Since then, Recycling Lives is doing even more to help men and women to have a new life.
“Its prison academies and the opportunities it gives people once they are released is inspirational and very much fit in with our modern Industrial Strategy, which is bringing opportunities and earning power to people everywhere in the UK.”
Anthony Sharkey, Chief Operations Officer for Recycling Lives, added: “We’re grateful for Lord Henley’s support of our business model and the progressive nature of our operations. It was great to be able to welcome him to site and bring to life the genuine impact we can have, changing lives for the better, through our business and charity.”
Recycling Lives has delivered rapid growth in recent years, opening seven new sites nationwide and tripling turnover in the last two years alone.
It operates 11 recycling sites along with 11 recycling facilities in HM Prisons, known as HMP Academies, as part of its offender rehabilitation programme.
