14th August 2024
Rooted in the Highlands, Driven by Sustainability: Discover How O’Brien Recycling is Shaping a Greener Future.
Located on their family croft in East Caithness, with breathtaking vistas over the North Sea, O’Brien’s Recycling is a standout in the recycling industry. Originally established as a scrap business in the 1980s, this family-run enterprise has been a cornerstone of the North Highlands community for over three generations. By adding skip hire and waste management to their services in 2014, their unwavering commitment to ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ has turned waste into valuable resources, fostering sustainability and innovation in their community.
With the husband-and-wife team, Alan and Lisa, now leading the charge, the SEPA-accredited O’Brien’s Recycling is poised for a bright and sustainable future, and their dedication is making a lasting impact on both the environment and the local economy.
You commit to ensuring ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’. Can you explain how this is implemented across your operational practices?
Our commitment to ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ is central to everything we do. Each skip we process is meticulously sorted by hand and segregated into specific waste streams to ensure that nothing is missed. We recycle or reuse everything we handle, and any material that cannot be reused is sent for further processing or converted into waste-to-energy. This rigorous approach ensures that we minimise our environmental footprint and contribute positively to the circular economy.
Our meticulous sorting process and partnerships with specialised processing facilities enable us to uphold our sustainability commitment and consistently achieve our ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ goal. O’Brien’s is proud to be the only SEPA-accredited recycling centre north of Alness, providing a vital local recycling and waste management facility for Caithness, Sutherland, and the northern Highlands.
What services do you offer and what differentiates your business from your competitors?
Our waste management licence offers our customers complete peace of mind. Being SEPA-controlled means we adhere to strict protocols, and our commitment to waste segregation is guaranteed as all processes are conducted in-house.
We offer a wide range of services, including skip hire, scrap metal recycling, and comprehensive waste management solutions. What truly sets us apart is our hands-on approach and dedication to ensuring that every piece of waste is handled responsibly.
Our family values, combined with decades of expertise and a forward-thinking mindset, ensure that our customers receive reliable, environmentally conscious service that makes a real difference. We work in partnership with our customers to help them meet their own sustainability commitments. This commitment is just one way we contribute to a more sustainable future for all.
In what ways does O’Brien’s Recycling contribute to the local economy and community in Caithness? Are there any partnerships or initiatives you’re particularly proud of?
We are deeply invested in our local community, and giving back is a core principle of our business. We proudly sponsor several local sports clubs and groups, promoting health, wellness, and community spirit in Caithness, including, Wick Academy, Wick Golf Club, Brora Rangers, Keep Lybster Tidy, and Thrumster Primary School.
As a family-run business operating for over three generations, we also provide stable employment opportunities. Our small but growing team is comprised of individuals from the local area, ensuring that our success directly benefits the community.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for O’Brien’s Recycling? Are there any upcoming projects or goals that excite you?
We are proud of our journey and excited about the future. Our values and accreditations have helped us secure new contracts with major organisations in the region, including NRS Dounreay, NHS Highland, Vestas, Farrans, and SSE. We believe that by continuing to innovate and expand our services, we can make an even greater positive impact on our environment and community.
We are particularly excited about upcoming projects that will enhance our recycling capabilities and further reduce waste. These initiatives will reinforce our commitment to sustainability for generations to come and ensure that O’Brien’s Recycling remains at the forefront of environmental responsibility in the North Highlands.