The People

The People

Lead us into the future

I’m delighted that you’re interested in Allwood Recycling Solutions. If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering “is this the right career move for me?” So let me tell you a bit more about us – and about the role of Managing Director.

I created Allwood Recycling Solutions in 2008, being new to the environmental and waste industry – I didn’t know a huge amount, but I knew that the time had come for change, both across the UK and the rest of the world. Industry and individuals could no longer push waste to one side and ignore it, and I was convinced that with all waste and by-products there had to be a better way to deal with things, to recycle as much as could possibly be recycled without exceptions, to educate companies on the right thing to do, and to include recycling into organisations fundamental planning and process flows.

The more I researched, the more I read, the more interested I became.

Now, over 14 years later with unprecedented growth, I’m delighted that I started on this journey. Why?

For one, because it’s great knowing that you’ve built an organisation that really matters – and that plays such a critical role in the environment and sustainability. I get a great feeling after a day’s work that I’ve made an actual difference. After all, our job is to recycle, reduce waste and find solutions. And if something’s gone wrong for our clients, or they’re at a loss as to what to do as waste is a by-product of their core business, it’s our job to put things right and help them. Last year we helped some of the biggest household names to “do things right”.

What we do here can look deceptively simple. After all, we just do one thing – we take away waste! But when you look more deeply, it’s a lot more complex. ‘Wastes’ vary hugely - from removing food waste to go to an anaerobic digestor, to an issue where we need to drastically improve the quality of recyclable plastics, to finding solutions for our clients so that they have a circular process for their own packaging. We also employ over 130 staff, who have different specialisms and skills. And we are spread across the UK with plans for expansion as we move into an economically challenging environment, and all this against a backdrop of changing regulation in our industry.

This isn’t an easy job, and it’s not for everyone. It’s for someone who relishes a challenge but who also values working for an organisation that strives to make a difference. I don’t think there’s much else that’s quite as rewarding.

Darren Wheeler

Founder and Executive Director