Founder and chief executive of social welfare charity Recycling Lives, Steve Jackson, was given an OBE for services to employment and the community in Lancashire. Meanwhile Clare Whelan, a non executive director at the Waste& Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and Conservative councillor for Lambeth, was given an OBE for services to local government in London.
Also recognised in this years Honours List was Sue Riddlestone, co-founder of sustainability charity BioRegional,who wasawarded an OBE for services to sustainable business and to the London 2012 Olympic Games. In addition, formerSecretary of State for the Environment Margaret Beckett MP was awarded an OBE for public and political service.
Recycling Lives
Preston-based Recycling Lives UK began operating as a charity in 2008 and is funded by the commercial operations of Recycling Lives Ltd. The charity offers jobs and accommodation to disadvantaged members of the community, recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), scrap metal, plastic and bulky waste.
Mr Jackson began his working life at the family scrap yard, before moving on to other commercial ventures. Upon returning to the business, he formed the Recycling Lives social welfare charity to benefit the local community.
In 2010, Recycling Lives received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Commenting on the honour, Mr Jackson, who is also an honorary fellow at the University of Central Lancashire, said: I am incredibly proud and honoured to receive such an award from Her Majesty. In a year where sporting achievements rightly dominate our newspapers its nice to receive acknowledgement for work done in the community.
It is my hope that receiving an OBE will help me to highlight the good work done by everyone at Recycling Lives and help us to expand our successful social business model into other areas of the UK, where it can assist even more people who find themselves at a disadvantage and on the margins of our communities.
Clare Whelan
Councillor Whelan has had close ties to the waste industry throughout her political career, having served on the Local Government Association’s Environment Board and as cabinet member for environment at Lambeth. She has also served on the Western Riverside Waste Authority and is a member of the advisory board for the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group. She was appointed to the boardof WRAP in June 2009.
WRAP chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin said: We were thrilled to see Clare Whelan recognised in the 2013 honours list. Clare is a valuable and influential member of the WRAP board who draws on her experience to give us great insight into local government and communities.
BioRegional
Sustainability organisation BioRegional set up Londons first kerbside recycling collection for office paper, the Laundry, in 2003,and has spearhededseveral projects aimed at reducing waste in the UK and abroad.
Ithas alsoworked alongside the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop the sustainability strategy for London 2012, which included waste management and recycling.
On receiving her OBE, Ms Riddlestone, who co-founded BioRegional in 1992, said: I am really touched and grateful. It’s lovely to be recognised in this way, for me and for all the team at BioRegional.
A lot of people say were in a recession so we can’t afford to think about sustainability. But what I’ve found through my work over the last20 years is that sustainability opens up a lot of opportunities.
If we treat people and the planet’s resources with respect we can save money, cut waste, and create new business opportunities and jobs in a safer and more reliable economy, all of which leads to us living happier, healthier lives. This honour is a welcome recognition of this approach.
Margaret Becketts achievements during her five years at the helm of Defra, during 2001-2006 included improving data available to the waste industry, as well as presiding over a doubling of waste recycling rates in England.
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