Robbie Warden, National Sourcing Manager for paper company UPM, has been named as the new Chair of the Resource Association following the organisation’s AGM last week (23 May).

The Resource Association exists to champion the value of the UK’s reprocessing and recycling sectors, with member companies from across the sector representing a contribution of around £3.3 billion to the UK’s gross domestic product. Together the companies recover and recycle over seven million tonnes annually and employ over 12,500 people.

Warden has worked for UPM since 2008 and is responsible for the strategic sourcing and management of recyclable materials for UPM’s paper mills, mixed paper sorting lines and materials recovery facility. He has also worked as a waste management and environmental policy officer for West Oxfordshire District Council and for Grundon Waste Management as Contracts Manager.

He will take over the role of Chair from DS Smith Business Development Manager Peter Clayson, who has stepped down.

Warden said: “I am delighted to take the reins as Resource Association Chair and would particularly like to thank Peter Clayson for his service.

“I’m delighted to be able to call on Peter and colleagues on the board as we develop our recently agreed new business plan and continue to press hard with the message that high quality recycling is essential for the health and sustainability of UK reprocessing and manufacturing.”

Looking back on his time as Chair, Peter Clayson commented: “These haven’t been easy times for the recycling and reprocessing industries, but we have continued to make the case for quality recycling, more consistency in household collections and establishing the importance of reprocessor quality specifications, reminding the supply chain that high quality recycled products need consistency and quality in feedstock.“

Eric Randall, Director of Bryson Recycling, which collects and processes material collected from over 60 per cent of homes in Northern Ireland, was voted in as Vice-Chair at the AGM. Randall was a founding board member of the Resource Association and in 2006 was awarded an MBE for services to waste management in Northern Ireland.

New Vice-Chair Randall concluded: “Alongside the rest of our industry we continue to look ahead at the political challenges that face us, and with the general election and Brexit negotiations high on the list, rest assured we stand ready to engage constructively in the policy debates that will inevitably flow from these important political milestones, across all parts of the United Kingdom. I am looking forward to working with Robbie, the Board and staff in helping to share a good future for our industries.”

Paldeep Bhatti of the Kent Resource Partnership was also voted onto the board, replacing Resource Futures’s Sam Reeve, who has stepped down.

The full board of the Resource Association now comprises: Robbie Warden (UPM); Andy Doran (Novelis); Gero Hempel (Palm Recycling); Peter Clayson (DS Smith); Mandy Kelly (ACE-UK); Paldeep Bhatti (Kent Resource Partnership) and Eric Randall (Bryson Recycling).

More information about the Resource Association can be found on the organisation’s website.