In this issue of Community Update we are proud to announce Solway Recycling as the recipient of our Commitment to Excellence Award.
Solway Recycling is a member of the Green Tractor Scheme, providing highly sustainable solutions for plastics in the agricultural sector.
Roy and Sharon Hiddleston established Solway Recycling 23 years ago, after seeing a gap in the market for agricultural recycling. Traditionally, virgin polymer dominated manufacturing but today polythene animal feed and fertiliser sacks have 50% less material used in production.
Cross-contamination of plastics was always a headache in agricultural recycling, so the Solway team came up with an ingenious solution:
“There is no other company out there that’s like us. We take single use farm waste plastic and give it a second life by turning it into products which can be used back on the farm. Our products are durable and have a long lifespan which means they don’t need to be replaced for years.”
Solway Recycling segregates different farm plastics through its bin & liner system: available in 3ft and 4ft sizes. The scheme has proved so successful that has it currently has a network of 40,000 farmers across the UK, Ireland and abroad. Roy, Annabelle and the team provide an on-farm plastic collection service and drop-off service to the Shawhead, Dumfries base. Although based in South West Scotland, the dedicated team are more than happy to help farmers elsewhere find a local plastic collector
After collecting these plastics, Solway can manufacture a full range of popular products in-house from poultry housing, pig arks, lambing and calving pens, dog kennels, garden furniture and Solway Board from these 100% recycled plastics.
We caught up with Annabelle Hiddleston: Operations Manager to find out more about the company’s latest product lines,
“We have installed a brand-new sheet line which turns old farm waste plastic into sheets which we then use to make our lifelong products like hen houses, dog kennels etc.
Business has grown dramatically over last 12 months with introduction of our new sheet line. Our plans for the future are that we will be looking to introduce more products to develop the business further.”
Other new products include the: Solway Board Gate (Sizes 10ft x 4ft, 12ft x 4ft), Gate Hurdles, Standalone Hayracks and Hedgehog Housing.
Roy, Annabelle and the team were delighted to receive this award,
“It means a lot and gives us confidence that we are doing things right after 23 years of hard work and commitment to the environment: we feel honoured to have received this prestigious award.”
All the products can be ordered from the website, see below:
T 01387 730666