Episode 38: Amy Bird, Founder of Women in Scrap, Co Owner of Countrywide Metals Ltd & Connolley Metals Ltd

Welcome to Episode 38 of the Rubbish Talk Podcast! This week, we’re excited to have Amy Bird, a powerhouse in the metal recycling industry, sharing her journey and insights. Amy’s story is a testament to resilience, passion, and the transformative power of recycling.

 

Amy Bird’s connection to metal recycling started early—her parents owned a metal recycling company in East London since 1977. Today, Amy co-owns two successful family businesses: Countrywide Metals Ltd in Birmingham and Connolley Metals Ltd in London. She’s also the founder of the influential group Women in Scrap and a proud member of BMRA, ALFED, and BIR.

 

Amy is on a mission to stop waste from ending up in landfills. Her companies sort waste into various grades and prepare it for shipment to countries like India, Asia, Malaysia, and Germany. Despite the challenge of ever-changing regulations, Amy’s dedication to clarity and efficiency in compliance is unwavering. She believes in clear, straight forward regulations that everyone can understand and implement.

 

Amy’s passion for supporting women in her industry is evident. She hosted a successful Women in Recycling event on International Women’s Day, showcasing the incredible strides women have made in this field. Amy emphasizes the importance of introducing girls to recycling early and is planning another event in October with a motivational speaker.

 

Amy’s path wasn’t always straightforward. She trained as a horse-riding instructor and enjoyed a successful stint as a model, traveling around the world. Despite this, she always returned to the scrapyard, eventually embracing her role in the family business. From favourite modelling jobs in Brazil to memorable moments on the weighbridge, Amy’s experiences are rich and varied.

 

Beyond work, Amy loves traveling, cooking, and hosting large family gatherings. She’s also passionate about supporting her godson, who participates in the Shetland Pony Grand National for charity.

 

Amy’s vision for the future is clear: better infrastructure, more support across the board, and a more inclusive industry. She urges young people to immerse themselves in learning and seize opportunities in companies with strong visions.

 

Useful Links

Connect with Amy on Linked In

Women In Scrap Website

Countrywide Metals Ltd Website

Connolley Metals Ltd Website

 

Environmental News Items

New Consultation on the Expansion of the UK ETS To Energy From Waste and Waste Incineration

The UK ETS Authority – made up of the Scottish Government, UK Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland who jointly run the scheme – has published a consultation regarding the expansion of the UK ETS to energy from waste and waste incineration. A full copy of this consultation can be found here.

 

Next steps: You are invited to submit your response via the online portal by clicking here.

The deadline to submit your response is Thursday 18th July 2024.

 

 

The British Metals Recycling Association Has Called For An Outright Ban On All Disposable Vapes

As festival season approaches, The British Metals Recycling Association has called for an outright ban on all disposable vapes, with Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading leading the way last summer.

 

And as fires linked to batteries used in disposable vapes are happening more and more frequently, the BMRA are concerned for the safety of festival goers. If these events do decide against an altogether ban, suitable recycling facilities have been encouraged, both to prevent the risks of fire, and to make sure they enter the correct recycling stream.

 

Antonia Grey, head of policy and public affairs at the BMRA, said: “While a government ban on disposable vapes is likely, until then we all must be mindful of how we dispose of, and recycle, all vapes and, in fact, anything containing a lithium-ion battery.”

 

This call for a ban follows on from recent statistics showing battery fires have gone up by 71% in the UK since 2022, and that lithium-ion batteries are responsible for approximately 48% of all waste fires in this country.

 

 

Morrisons Is First UK Supermarket To Roll-Out Coffee Pod Recycling Scheme

To make coffee pod recycling easier and accessible for the UK, Morrisons has announced a nationwide roll-out of dedicated coffee pod collection points in more than 350 stores nationwide in partnership with Podback, the pod recycling service. Roll out of the new recycling points will start in June.

 

 

WRAP Report Find 49% of Used Textiles End Up In Residual Waste

People in the UK dispose of 49% of all used textiles in residual waste bins, WRAP’s latest Textiles Market Situation Report 2024showed. The report found that on average each person in the UK throws away 35items of unwanted textiles into general waste every year.

 

WRAP’s most recent estimates showed that the UK discarded 711,000 tonnes of post-consumer textiles into residual black bins and general waste at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). 

 

Evidence from WRAP’s new Waste Hotspots Report found that84% of post-consumer textiles were incinerated with energy recovery and 11%were sent to landfill. WRAP’s latest data also showed the UK bought 1.42million tonnes of textiles in 2022 and generated 1.45 million tonnes of used textiles.

 

 

Welsh Government Legal Advisor Defends Including Glass in DRS | MRW

The Counsel General for Wales has suggested the UK Government does not have the legal right to stop Wales including glass in its deposit return scheme (DRS).

 

When asked in the Senedd about threats from UK ministers to block Welsh plans using the Internal Market Act, Mick Antoniw said he believed Wales’s constitutionally protected legislation should take precedence.

 

 

APSE Event (Association for Public Service Excellence)

Alasdair was recently at the APSE Event in Aviemore to talk on behalf on SWITCH. Congratulations to North Ayrshire Council, our neighbouring authority, who won gold on the Waste Management award and was great to see David MacKay and Robert Robb at the event receiving this award, we have a recent episode with Robert Robb on Episode 30, click here to listen now.

 

The only negative about the APSE Event was at the Macdonald Hotel, everything was disposable! From disposable coffee cups to disposable lunch boxes, there must be changes made for hotels and restaurants to help tackle this issue!

 

Albion News

We recently had 3 members of staff who completed an award and are now newly qualified assessors!

Andrew Howlett, Ruben Breuls and Jane Bond all completed the SQA Unit L&D9D1 Assess Workplace Competence Using Direct & Indirect Methods Qualification. They have all been working extremely hard on this over the last 6 months, well done to all!

 

Solar Panels at Albion Office!

We mentioned a few episodes a go, that we had scaffolding going up at our office, but once this was up, we ran into some issues on our roof which caused a few setbacks. But we now have solar panels on the roof and will have a large Tesla Battery inside to conduct the energy throughout the office, which we are very happy about. Thanks to everyone who was working on this job!

 

Have you had a look at our Tik Tok Account yet?

We have recently introduced a fortnightly video called “Meet the Team Monday” where we interview our staff and to find out their job roles, favourite part about their job, favourite/funny memory and a “which colleague is most likely to…” question to add some humour. Make sure to follow us and check out our videos.

 

Help us spread the word about the Rubbish Talk Podcast!

Your support helps us reach a wider audience and continue to provide valuable content on waste management and sustainability.

 

Additionally, if you have any guest suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes, we’d love to hear from you!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your ideas and recommendations. Together, let’s make a positive impact in the waste management community. Thank you for your support!

 

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