A Kirkby Stephen-based recycling firm is closing after being in business for nearly three decades.
Adam Hoyle, aged 56, who lives in Orton, said the decision had been taken to close down Eden Recycling, based at Station Yard, because of the increased overheads the business was facing.
Originally set up as a skip hire company in Mr Hoyle’s name, it then became Eden Recycling in about 1997.
“We started off very small, just myself really,” said Adam.
He then began doing kerbside collections of paper, cardboard and glass bottles in about 1998 and they continued for about 13 to 15 years.
“It was before the council or anybody else had started kerbside collections for recycling and it started to raise the profile of Eden Recycling in Kirkby Stephen,” said Adam.
He said that at the time people were very interested in how they were going to start this scheme to recycle everyday household waste.
Residents were asked to separate their discarded cans, glass bottles plus paper and cardboard into separate plastic bags which were collected from doorsteps on a Thursday morning.
It was a service which was provided free of charge for the people of Kirkby Stephen and provided local
employment.
“We only stopped because the Government rolled out legislation to all the councils which said they should be responsible for recycling and all the domestic waste.
“It was a bit of shame. I was a bit upset that we had stop it, because it was something that put us on the map really and everybody knew us in and around Kirkby Stephen because of that,” said Adam.
Towards the end of the kerbside scheme, which came about nine years ago, Adam said they were bringing in five tonnes of paper and cardboard every week, along with a tonne of cans and a couple of tonnes of glass which were all processed at the Station Yard waste transfer station along with the contents of skips which were hired out.
On the decision to close Eden Recycling, Adam said: “Having done it for such a long time, I just thought it was time for a change and to try and find something as interesting which would be useful to somebody else, perhaps.
“We were competitive in the market, right up to this Christmas, really.”
However, with soaring costs including for diesel, electricty and insurance, he said: “It got to the point where I thought that if we don’t stop now, we won’t be able to be in charge of our destiny. If these costs hadn’t risen, then we would have kept going.”
The plan is to now break the waste transfer station up and sell off most of the machinery before possibly creating some small industrial units on the site.
If somebody wants a small workshop with an office, there will be some space to let, said Adam. There are another five small businesses at Station Yard, along with the Stainmore Railway Company.
As one of the bigger yards on that site, added Adam, the site could certainly host a couple of small businesses or workshops.
