Recycling plant helps Wellingborough boom

Almost 60 jobs have been filled after a multi-million-pound recycling firm chose Wellingborough as its UK base.
By Sam Wildman
Published 6th Sep 2019, 21:53 BST
Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer with Simon Scholes at the recycling plant.Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer with Simon Scholes at the recycling plant.
Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer with Simon Scholes at the recycling plant.

And, according to the town's MP Peter Bone, his constituency is "booming".

The Conservative spoke yesterday (Friday) during a walk around Veka Recycling Ltd's HQ and plant in Nielson Road, which began production just 10 months ago.

He said: "It's a brilliant factory and a brilliant company.

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The windows are broken down.The windows are broken down.
The windows are broken down.

"They've come to Wellingborough and created jobs. The town is booming and it's great.

"Wellingborough never gets the accolades but we've got new houses, new roads, new jobs and of course Rushden Lakes."

At Veka's 5.5 acre site on the Finedon Road Industrial Estate, previously-installed PVC-U window frames and off-cuts are processed and reduced before component materials are further reduced and separated.

The PVC-U goes through more processes at the specialist recycling plant and is then returned to the market for re-manufacture. Compounds recycled by Veka have helped produce new window profiles and trims as well as electrical conduit and construction components.

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Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer took a look around the Veka plant.Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer took a look around the Veka plant.
Peter Bone and Cllr Gill Mercer took a look around the Veka plant.

By the end of the year the Wellingborough plant will be capable of recycling in excess of 25,000 tonnes per year.

Some recycling materials are currently taken to Veka's other plants in Germany and France but when the plant is fully operational by next summer all materials will be extracted and re-processed in Wellingborough.

The firm moved their UK operation from Kent to Wellingborough.

Managing director Simon Scholes said: "Wellingborough is an idea location for us.

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Materials are separated.Materials are separated.
Materials are separated.

"We wanted somewhere central that had great logistics links and this fits the bill perfectly."

The move has created skilled jobs for the town, with Veka currently employing almost 60 people.

By the time the project is complete Mr Scholes estimates they will have spent at least £10m.

He added: "We will be looking to employ more next year because we are expanding our operations."

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The move was made despite Brexit and Veka say they are "fully committed" to the UK market, irrespective of the UK's status in Europe.

Wellingborough MP Mr Bone, an ardent Brexiteer, added: "Every day businesses will have a challenge.

"I actually think that these Brexit problems are non-existent."

Related topics:Wellingborough